Cuts in subsidies hits independent preschools: ”We won't manage”

At the beginning of summer, the Children and Education Board decided to lower the basic subsidy amount by 1.5 per cent from August, this is the money allocated per child for preschools. The reason stated was a miscalculation on the part of the Children and Education Board, which means that the budget for childcare is 10 million short.

It concerns the number of hours that children spend at preschool; the number of children who spend 46 hours or more a week at preschool has increased more than the administration had expected. This means that the budget falls shorter than planned. But instead of requesting more money, they have chosen to reduce the subsidy in the middle of the financial year.

It is clear after Kb/NSk spoke to several managers and principals in independent preschools that there is an obvious concern regarding finances. Some are talking about the risk of closure.

– It happened very quickly. There has been no transitional period and we are now in a situation where we may have to let staff go, says a principal.

– We have never been in such a situation. Of course there have been ups and downs before too, where the municipality had to make savings. But this situation actually feels hopeless, says another principal who Kb/NSk has been in contact with.

A colleague of the principal adds:

– We won't manage. Some of us are really worried. We have no resources. The money we receive comes in and goes out again.