2023-09-05 12:47:11
The plan is now going into the financial equalization negotiations between the federal and state governments, said Family Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP), who wants to guarantee a “real choice” in shaping everyday family life. The 4.5 billion euros mentioned by Chancellor Karl Nehammer in yesterday’s ORF “summer talk” are the total volume between the federal, state and local governments that is needed so that all families are guaranteed a childcare place for children from the first child by the end of 2030 age received. The number is the result of an analysis that was created together with the economic research institute EcoAustria. The institute is currently in the process of further refining the concept.
Different goals have now been defined for different age groups due to different needs. In the case of the Barcelona targets for childcare recommended by the EU Council, on the other hand, all under-three-year-olds would be lumped together, criticized Raab. 27 percent of the one- to two-year-olds are being cared for, and in the future there should be a place available for over 50 percent of them. Around 60 percent of the two- to three-year-olds are being cared for, and 90 percent of them will be given a place in the future. On the other hand, only two percent of children under the age of one are in care. Here, there is often a desire to look following the child at home, said the minister, who nevertheless wants to create more places for the newborns. A total of 50,000 more childcare places are to be created by 2030. A legal entitlement to childcare, on the other hand, would currently be “ineffective” because the necessary places do not exist, according to the minister.
She found a momentum to break new ground when it came to childcare, it became apparent Raab confident regarding financial equalization. The federal states will be approached with the concept as part of the financial equalization negotiations. She is convinced that it is possible to find a way to get the overall volume up and running.
The federal government has been supporting the federal states in expanding childcare since 2008. Since then, the childcare rate for under-threes has more than doubled from 14 percent to 32 percent. As part of a 15a agreement between the federal and state governments, a “kindergarten billion” (200 million euros each over five years) was decided last year. “Now we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the pace properly,” said Raab.
This not only requires the necessary space, but also high-quality childcare and a good working environment for teachers. In this regard, it is also necessary to talk to the federal states regarding aligning the different quality criteria. Finding more staff for the expansion was already explained by Nehammer as a problem in the ORF “summer talk”. Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) will present proposals in this regard in the next few days, announced Raab.
Conformity with the compatibility indicator for family and work (VIF) provides for Raab another factor in the expansion of childcare. So that parents can also work full-time, facilities should be open at least 45 hours, five days a week and 9.5 hours a day. They should be open all year round for at least 47 weeks, and the children must also be provided with lunch. Only around 50 percent of children over the age of three are currently in VIF-compliant facilities, and the number is set to increase to 75 percent. Around 60 percent of the under-threes occupy VIF-compliant places, and all newly created places should also be VIF-compliant.
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