An increasing number of children in low-income families now receive free, or cheaper kindergarten. But the Minister for the Arts isn’t yet satisfied.
Last year, 8,000 more children received cheaper kindergarten places compared to the previous year. Equally remarkable was the increase in the number of children who
received totally free core-time in kindergartens.
’These are very gratifying figures’, said the Arts Minister, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, who hopes still more people discover the discount kindergarten scheme.
‘I think it is under-used. I think the reason is that you, yourself, must take the initiative, find out about it and make sure to submit your application’, he told NTB news agency.
Altogether, a little over 33,000 children got cheaper kindergarten places, while more than 18,000 children received free core time in kindergartens last year.
The increase is mainly due to three-year olds being incorporated into the free core-time from last autumn. It came about after the government and all cooperative parties agreeing to extend the scheme.
But part of the reason why more people have gotten cheaper kindergarten, is that the moderation system is becoming better known about, according to the annual summary of the Education Directorate.
Municipalities report having spent over 433 million in reducing payments from parents from low household income. That is approximately double the amount from 2015.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
