Parents did not have to pay for daycare and SFO

Press Release | Date: 17.03.2020

| No. 50-20

Parents did not have to pay for daycare and SFO as long as the offer is closed due to the corona outbreak. The kindergarten is fully compensated for this loss by the state. This is how we avoid layoffs in daycare.

Kindergarten and school are now closed shallow corona eruptions. This has financial consequences for both parents and kindergartens. Now the government has decided that parents should not have to pay, and that kindergartens should cover the loss of parental payment. In addition, the kindergartens must be paid the usual subsidy from the municipality. The exemption from parental payment in kindergarten and SFO also applies to parental payment for children who, for various reasons, receive an offer during this period, to be convicted because the parent has key positions.

- This will give the kindergartens and SFO in publicly funded school financial conditions that are stable, and I expect that we will avoid layoffs. If several kindergartens should still lay off, compensation and grants will be shortened, says Minister of Knowledge and Integration Guri Melby.

The government has stated that all of the country's kindergartens and skuldups are closed shallow corona from March 12 to March 26. The period may be extended. The Directorate of Health's guidelines for closing schools and kindergartens make exceptions for children and young people with special care needs, and children of parents with critical social functions.

- Kindergarten and SFO have an important task to offer to children of persons who work with socially critical tasks. In addition, the measure ensures the provision of kindergartens to tens of thousands of children the day the situation is over, and the children will return to the kindergarten, says Minister of Knowledge and Integration Guri Melby.

The government initiative will cost about NOK 1 billion a month as long as kindergartens and SFO are closed. The Ministry will return closer to the arrangements to be administered.

Fact

School and kindergarten owners are responsible for offering children who have parents in critical social functions or other critical tasks in connection with the corona outbreak. The threshold for receiving offers is high basic oversight of infection control. Therefore, this offer should be as narrow as possible. The emergency preparedness line in the municipality is authorized to refine or extend the offer.

There are two conditions for obtaining such an offer:

1. Personnel in critical social function . 
2. Personnel with other critical tasks (judged to repair technical equipment in hospitals). 

For both paragraphs 1 and 2, the following applies:

• The child must be under 12 years of age.
• Children living with two parents, or equivalent legal caregivers, must have both of these in critical community functions and / or other critical tasks.
• There is no better offer for other childcare.
• Employers must, on demand, be able to confirm that such caregivers are personnel in critical social function and / or have critical tasks related to activities of some kind.