Minister planning state-subsidized crèches

The minister for labour and social affairs, Jana Maláčová, is planning to re-introduce state-subsidized crèches as of 2021.

The minister has stressed the need to address the lack of facilities for children under the age of 3.

Parents who need to place their child in a day-care facility either find so-called children’s’ groups, which are fairly expensive, or try to enrol them in kindergartens.

Under the new system children’s groups would be transformed into crèches and the state would subsidize all children under the age of 4 with a sum of 5,000 crowns a month.

The sum paid for by the child’s parents should not exceed a third of the minimal wage (presently 4,450), Maláčová said.

Children over the age of four would be placed in kindergartens. There are currently 45,000 two-year-olds in kindergartens.