Summer Care: Greens Criticize Gaps

On average, nurseries and kindergartens are closed for nine days in the summer. Daycare centers are particularly long with 15 days, with Vorarlberg standing out among the states with 44 days. In light of the situation, especially in the west, the Greens are once again calling for comprehensive summer care.

According to the 2023/24 childcare statistics, childcare facilities - that is, nurseries, kindergartens, and daycare centers - in the west are comparatively often closed throughout the year. While the Austrian average is just under 20 days, the facilities in Tyrol are closed for an average of 27 days, in Vorarlberg 25, and in Salzburg 24. For comparison: In Burgenland and Vienna, it is a little more than 12 days.

Even during the summer holidays, the availability across all age groups strongly depends on the region: While during this time the facilities in Tyrol record around 16 closure days, in Vorarlberg 15, and in Salzburg 14, in Vienna, Lower Austria, or Burgenland it is not even seven.

Daycare Centers with the Longest Closure Times

The longest time without summer operation is found across all federal states in the daycare centers, especially in Vorarlberg (44), but also in Lower Austria, Burgenland (19 each), and Salzburg (18). These play a central role in many federal states for afternoon and summer care, according to Green family spokesperson Barbara Neßler. From the Greens' perspective, care offers in schools are not an alternative for schoolchildren: Only a third of six to 14-year-olds attend a full-day school, also with large regional differences. And not all locations offer care in the summer, according to Neßler.

"Summer care must be plannable, affordable, and reliable - for all families," she demanded in a statement to the APA, calling for a comprehensive expansion of family-friendly opening hours in kindergartens and daycare centers, especially during the holidays. Otherwise, the compatibility of work and family remains "an empty promise" - especially for women, who still take on the majority of unpaid care work.

Currently, in Austria, just under 60 percent of childcare places for zero to five-year-olds are compatible with a full-time job for both parents. The proportion of so-called VIF-compliant places (offering at least 45 hours per week, at least 9.5 hours on four days, open at least 47 weeks per year) varies greatly regionally, with generally more availability in large cities.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.