The free kindergarten program returns to debate in the Assembly of the Republic on Thursday, with projects prioritizing working parents, freedom of choice or emergency support for those left without free provision.
Three bills will be discussed: two from the Liberal Initiative (LI) party and another from the People-Animals-Nature (PAN) party, as well as a draft resolution from the Chega party.
One of the IL bills concerns freedom of choice of kindergartens. The party argues that it is necessary not only for “private and cooperative networks to form a truly integrated system that allows effective choice on the part of the family,” but also “changes in criteria related to geographical restrictions remain and are not justified.”
The Liberal initiative understands that families should have freedom of choice – and not be tied to admission criteria that prioritize where parents live or work – and that it is beneficial for kindergartens to be able to compete with every other.
He also wants the rule to be changed stating that vacancies in the private sector are only taken into account when vacancies in the social sector are exhausted.
The second bill of the IL party provides for the inclusion of “children whose both parents are engaged in professional activities” in the criteria for access to a free place. The change is intended to “prevent families from being forced to have one of their members give up work because there is no vacancy.”
The PAN Bill, in turn, provides for the creation of emergency support for children who do not have access to a free kindergarten place between 1 September 2023 and 31 January 2024.
This support will be of an emergency nature, limited in duration to the 2023/24 school year, and intended for families who, due to lack of space, have had to enroll their children in private daycare centers or childminders not covered by the program.
All families with an income equal to or less than income tax band 6 (from 26,355 euros to 38,632 euros per year) who do not receive any other monetary support for the same purpose will be covered.
The benefit will range from €115 for 1st income families to 86€ for 6th income families and will be paid in two different ways.
“A single payment for all costs associated with monthly daycare or nanny fees for the period from September 1 to December 31, 2023, to be processed by January 15, 2024; and monthly payments, which refers to monthly payments. expenses for visiting a kindergarten or nanny during the period from January 1 to August 31, 2024 must be processed by the 15th of the following month to which they relate,” the party explains.
PAN also proposes that this support should not be taxed by the IRS and not be included in the tax base for Social Security contributions.
Finally, Chegi’s draft resolution “recommends that the government change the admission rules for kindergartens participating in the Happy Kindergarten program, giving priority to children of working parents.”
The party stresses that there are still cases where working parents are unable to enroll their child in kindergarten “because they do not have priority for the right to a place”, forcing many to “refuse work to care for their children” .
It therefore recommends that admission criteria include giving working parents priority access over non-occupational parents.
The Happy Kindergarten program was created by the current government, came into force on September 5, 2022, and provides free kindergarten places for children born after September 1, 2021. It is expected to reach 100,000 children within three years.
According to the latest official data, more than 58 thousand children were covered until April, and this figure includes families with 1st and 2nd income groups.