Lower Austria's mammoth project: childcare for all two -year -olds!

Lower Austria's mammoth project: childcare for all two -year -olds!

In Lower Austria, an essential goal is pursued with a comprehensive childcare offensive: improving the care offers for children under the age of six. This mammoth task, as described by State Councilor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP), presents the municipalities with great challenges, in particular due to the current financial situation. According to [vienna.at] (https://www.vienna.at/ausbau-der-kinderbetz-als mammut task, fuer-noe/9513086), the municipalities are responsible for the expansion of the facilities, while over 500 groups have already received grants from the Lower Austrian school and kindergarten funds.

For the coming years, investments of 750 million euros are planned to significantly improve the situation. This number comprises 400 million euros that are provided directly by the state of Lower Austria. The aim is to offer all two -year -olds by the end of 2027 who need care. By September 2024, 93% of the municipalities are said to have created places for children from two years. The offers include the opening of the kindergartens for this age group, free morning care and nationwide afternoon care offers. The possibility of reducing group sizes and the recruitment of additional specialists are also part of the offensive, so [noe.gv.at] (https://noe.gv.at/ausbau_der_noe_kinder support_Ontritterswetter_Les_kuen.html).

financing and challenges

Despite the ambitious plans, some construction projects must be planned or reduced. Two kindergartens were expanded in Baden, while a planned new location is currently on hold. Emmersdorf, for example, faces financial bottlenecks and temporarily uses a container commission for kindergarten. In Pyhra, too, the new building is scaled due to the budget. Although no projects have currently been deleted in St. Pölten, the municipal treasury is putting the implementation of the projects. The Lower Austrian Community Association describes the budget situation as difficult, but sees no delays in the implementation of the offensive until the end of 2027.

Appropriate 75,000 children are currently being looked after in Lower Austria, with the visiting quota for under-three year olds with 36.3% above the Austrian average of 34.9%. It is noteworthy that over 98% of the three to five year olds visit a childcare facility, which is the highest rate in Austria.

Quality of early education

The quality of early childhood care is a central topic of the initiative. The specialist portal pedagogy emphasizes that the number of employees in day care centers is continuously increasing, but still lacking qualified specialists. In order to promote the quality, the aim is to introduce around 150 new groups and additional educators in the future.

Some planned measures aim to reduce the number of closing days in the kindergartens in order to support the compatibility of family and work. The closing time from three to a week from the next summer vacation should be reduced, which would be a noticeable relief for many families.

The childcare offensive in Lower Austria is not only an important infrastructure project, but also a step towards a better agreement between family and work. In view of the challenges that the municipalities look forward to, it remains to be seen how successfully the implementation of the extensive plans that aim to ensure a high -quality, nationwide care offer.