Daycare fees to come down from August

Client fees for early childhood education will be reduced by raising the income thresholds on which the fees are based by 31%.

The government’s proposal to amend the respective act in this regard was adopted in December 2020, which will enter into force on 1 August 2021, said the Ministry of Education and Culture in a press release on Monday.

In addition, the fees charged for siblings will be lowered to 40% (instead of the current 50%) of the imputed full-time early childhood education and care fee for the youngest child.

The purpose of the reduction is to improve employment and to increase the participation rate in early childhood education and care.

The client fees for early childhood education and care of low-income and middle-income families, in particular, will decrease.

All families with more than one child in early childhood education and care will also benefit from the change in the sibling discount.

As a result of the legislative amendment, about 20,000 families will be entitled to free early childhood education and care.