WEBVTT

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August in Denmark is the

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beginning of fall.

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The summer strawberries

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disappear from the

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supermarkets, the leaves

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start to turn brown on

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the trees and the primary

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schools open again.

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After their usual brief

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six week summer vacation,

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this month, some young

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Danes will be starting

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school for the very first

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time.

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They're usually welcomed

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with a ceremony that

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includes Danish flags,

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speeches and songs.

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Their parents attend and

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take a lot of photos on

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the first day of school.

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This was something I

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unfortunately didn't

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know.

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When my own daughter

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had her first day of

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school in Denmark. She'd

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already been going to

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playground classes

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there.

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So on the first official

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academic day, I just

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dropped her off at

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school as if it were an

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ordinary day and there

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was nobody there to take

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her picture.

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Such is being a foreigner

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and not knowing the

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local customs.

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She still brings it up to

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this day anyway.

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It's hard to understand

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Danish culture without

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understanding early

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Danish childhood

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education, which doesn't

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begin in school.

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It begins when children

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are toddlers.

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Almost every child enters

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Danish daycare at 12 to 18

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months after the parents

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finish their one year

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childbirth leave.

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Daycare in Denmark isn't

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free.

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It costs up to 5,000

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crowns a month in

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Copenhagen, for example,

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about US$800, although

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the price is lower for

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low income people.

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And daycare is actually

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mandatory for some of

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the poor.

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If you live in a socially

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marginalized district,

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usually a district with

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high crime and a large

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immigrant population,

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your child must attend

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daycare for at least 25

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hours per week in order

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to receive your child

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check welfare payments.

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This is so all kids learn

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the Danish language and

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Danish values right from

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the start.

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What are those values?

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Independence and self

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sufficiency.

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You learn to put on your

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own shoes and jacket

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responsibility.

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You learn how to clean

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up after yourself.

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You learn group spirit,

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inclusion.

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You learn conflict

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resolution, empathy.

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Preschools in Denmark

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don't teach kids to read

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and often don't even teach

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them letters and

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numbers.

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That doesn't happen until

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they start school at age

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6.

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And Danish kids generally

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don't learn to read until

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they are seven or eight

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years old.

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Basic math has to wait as

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well.

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I've been spending a lot of

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time with Danish children

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lately.

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As you know, I make my

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living giving speeches

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about Danish working

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culture to corporate

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groups or academics.

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But in the summer I like

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to take on other jobs and

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learn about Danish

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working culture from the

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inside.

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This summer I've been

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working at several

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preschools that serve

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ages 3 to 6.

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A great age to work with.

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They're old enough to be

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verbal and express

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interesting ideas, but not

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so old that they are

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"flabet" which is the Danish

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word for sassy.

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Talking back the Danish

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government spends

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enormous resources on

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kids, in particular

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preschool kids.

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One of the preschools

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where I work, owned by

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the Copenhagen

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municipality, is built just

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for that purpose, with

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high ceilings and big

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windows, a seemingly

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infinite number of toys,

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five separate

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playgrounds with trees

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and sandboxes, a pillow

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room for jumping around

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on rainy days, and a well

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equipped art room and an

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extensive kitchen where

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professional cooks

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prepare meals.

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One day this summer we

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had a very nice baked

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salmon with rice and

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broccoli, followed by a

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snack of fresh

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strawberries, granola

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and yogurt.

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We adults practice

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educational eating, which

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means we eat lunch with

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the small children to

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work on their table

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manners and appropriate

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table conversation.

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We teach them that it's

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important to talk about

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things that interest

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everyone, like what's your

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favorite ice cream?

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Or which is better, trains

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or motorcycles.

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And we teach them to

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avoid chatter about

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things that are only

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interesting to you, like my

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pants are so wet.

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That's not good table

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conversation.

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Of course.

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I once made the mistake of

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leading a one sided

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conversation myself.

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We were talking about

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masks and I mentioned

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masks as part of the

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COVID lockdowns before

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realizing that I was the

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only person at the table

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who had been born

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during the COVID

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lockdowns.

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Denmark is a very good

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place to be a child and to

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have children.

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Yet the birth rate is

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dropping, as it is in so

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many other countries.

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Some preschools have

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shut down due to lack of

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kids.

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Just this year Denmark

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reached a population of 6

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million, a big landmark

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for a little country.

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But that's mostly due to

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immigration, not more

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children being born.

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All the initiatives that

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international experts

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recommend for

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increasing fertility

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already exist in Denmark,

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like child checks for

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parents, long parental

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leaves after childbirth,

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good universal daycare

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and tax funded health

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care.

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The Danish government

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even offers free fertility

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treatment for the first

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and second child, and it

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offers this to single

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women as well as

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committed couples.

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Yet fertility is well below

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replacement levels at

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about 1.5

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children per woman in

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2024.

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Why are there not more

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babies?

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My guess is long

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educational requirements

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for both men and women,

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plus high housing prices

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in the big cities.

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But Denmark is still a

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very child friendly

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culture.

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There's nothing more

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Danish than a long line of

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small children on a field

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trip from kindergarten,

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walking along the

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sidewalk in their bright

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vests, each holding hands

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with a buddy while an

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adult desperately tries to

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make sure that they don't

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run into traffic.

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I've been one of those

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adults and it is amazing

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how many smiles and

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waves we get from

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passerby from kids just a

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few years older who

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remember their own

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kindergarten days.

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From old ladies wheeling

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their shopping along.

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From workmen in vans

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who come to a full stop

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during their busy day to

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make sure all the

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children have crossed

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the street safely.

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Denmark likes kids, even

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if there are fewer kids

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these days.