Great progress in childcare: Lower Austria extends places and quality!

Great progress in childcare: Lower Austria extends places and quality!

St. Leonhard am Hornerwald, Österreich - In a solemn ceremony, the expansion of the Lower Austria Landeskindergarten in St. Leonhard am Hornerwald was inaugurated. This measure is part of the comprehensive Lower Austrian children's education and care offensive, which aims to improve the facilities for early childhood care. With the new group and the adapted premises, the care needs of small children meet. The state of Lower Austria supports this expansion with over 370,000 euros in increased interest rates, as the family state councilor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister underlined, who praised the cooperation between the market town and the state. In addition, since 2023 structural investments have been strengthened by increasing the grant to almost 50% for municipalities, which is essential support for operators of kindergartens.

increase in the care rate

As part of this initiative, there have already been considerable progress: since the beginning of the "blue-yellow care offensive", 281 groups for childcare across Lower Austria have emerged in just 20 months. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in the care rate for 0 to 2 year olds, which increase from 31.3% in 2018 to 62.3% in 2023. There is also a positive trend among 3 to 5 year olds: here the quota rose from 20% to 52.9%. The measures aim to promote the compatibility of family and work and to offer parents the freedom of choice, continued Tesch-Hofmeister. By the end of 2027, a total of around 615 new kindergarten groups and 250 day care facilities are to be built in Lower Austria.

In addition, the country grants simplified conditions for the morning care. The so -called Lower Austria childcare contribution should create parent -saving framework and offer financial support to the care operators of day care facilities. From March 2024, the funding contributions will be adapted to the current consumer price index, which means a continuous adjustment of the costs for the parents. All of these measures reflect the efforts of the country to constantly expand the care systems for small and preschool children in order to meet the needs of families, as reported on land-noe.at