Early childhood education in Austria
A sufficient and flexible range of early childhood education facilities makes an important contribution to the reconciliation of family life and work, because the employment chances of parents particularly mothers depend on the availability of care offers for children and for other people who require help.
Through extension initiatives from the provinces and the municipalities with financial support from the federal government, numerous additional care places have been created in the last few years and opening hours in the afternoons and during holidays have been lengthened. Significant improvements in the offer of care services have been achieved, particularly for small children.
Currently, the enrolment-rate is 34,9 per cent of 0 – 3 year olds, in the case of 3 – 6 year olds it is 94,2 per cent, and 15.2 per cent of 6 – 10 year olds (status: 2023) (without children in boarding schools). (Source: statistics on elementary education and after-school care, July 2023 and statistics on elementary education, monitoring report 2023/24).
Public bodies (particularly municipalities) operate around 57.6 per cent of all daycare facilities. In addition, parishes, family organisations, non-profit associations, companies and private individuals also function as operators of facilities.
Extension initiatives
According to Austrian constitutional law, the financing of childcare facilities is primarily the responsibility of state-governments and municipalities (Länder and Gemeinden). In the past, the federal government temporarily participated in financing by granting earmarked subsidies to the states for specific purposes.
Between 2008 and 2018 the federal government spent 442.5 million Euro on the expansion of childcare facilities, 90 million Euro on early language support and 630 million Euro on compulsory kindergarten free of charge in the last year before entering school. Three different agreements between the federal government and the state-governments regulated the funding.
In 2018, in order to improve the efficiency and the flexibility of budgeting the Agreement on early childhood education and care for the kindergarten years 2018/19 to 2021/22 according to Artikel 15a B-VG was set up regulating the expansion of children care as well as early language support and compulsory kindergarten free of charge in the last year before entering school. The federal government granted earmarked subsidies on these purposes (552.5 million Euro) to the states for the kindergarten years 2018/19 to 2021/22.
In 2022 this agreement was replaced by the Agreement on early childhood education and care for the kindergarten years 2022/23 to 2026/27. The federal government will spend a total of 1 billion Euro on earmarked subsidies during the next five years. Main issues of the agreement are
- focus on the expansion of institutional child care for children under the age of three
- flexibilisation and extension of opening hours
- impulses to improve the quality of care, especially the ratio of the number of children care by the number of kindergarten teachers
- promoting childminders as an alternative and supplement to kindergarten
- continuation of the non-contributory compulsory kindergarten for five-year-olds
- intensification and further development of language support
- obligatory teaching of values of Austrian society
- improved qualification of the qualified staff and specialized linguistic teachers
- focus on the transition from kindergarten to school
- definitions of a compulsory quality frame work through mandatory pedagogical documents and educational goals
Financial equalisation - Future Fund
More money for primary education
The expansion of child education and care plays a central role in the newly created Future Fund in order to accelerate and intensify the successful path taken to date. EUR 500 million per year has been earmarked for the area of primary education, even beyond the end of the financial equalisation period and adjusted for inflation. The money will be made available in addition to the existing agreement between the federal and state governments totalling one billion euros.
The focus is on investment in the following 3 areas:
- Expansion of ECEC (European Education Area, Englisch) places for under-3s
- Expansion of opening hours/VIF conformity (childcare places must be compatible with full-time employment for both parents)
- Improving quality (group size, staff-child ratio)
The federal government is providing the federal states, which are constitutionally responsible for childcare, with more money than ever before for the expansion and qualitative improvement of childcare with the Future Fund and the kindergarten billion of the current 15a agreement. This is a joint effort by the federal, state and local authorities.
Non-contributory compulsory kindergarten
Since 2009 part-time daycare is free of charge for 5-year olds throughout Austria. In 2010 pre-school education became compulsory. Additionally there is childcare free of charge for the following age groups in the different states:
- Burgenland: free half-day and full-day childcare for children up to 6 years of age
- Carinthia: 100 per cent reimbursement of parental contributions for children up to 6 years of age
- Lower Austria: free half-day childcare (7 a.m. to 1 p.m.) for children up to 6 years of age
- Upper Austria: free half-day childcare for children up to 6 years of age
- Salzburg: free half-day childcare for 3 to 6 year olds
- Tyrol: free half-day childcare for children between 4 and 6 years of age
- Vienna: free full-day childcare for children up to 6 years of age
Types of early childhood education
The types of institutions offering child care differ in particular according to the age structure of the children looked after in crèches, nursery schools/kindergarten, day homes and children’s groups, whereby the terms used in the individual states vary considerably. Alongside these offers, playgroups and childminders also offer their services.
Crèches
Crèches are responsible for looking after children under the age of three in a manner suitable to their age. As this offer is primarily directed towards working parents, these facilities are largely open all day without a break and throughout the year.
Nursery schools/Kindergarten
Nursery schools offer a supplement to family care for children from the age of three until they start school. The aim of nursery school education is the promotion of the physical, mental and emotional development of the children via suitable playing and the educational effect of the group. Nursery schools are generally accepted as a good pre-school educational offer. Since September 2010 the attending of nursery school is compulsory for 5-year olds during 20 hours per week.
Day homes
Day homes are responsible for the care of pupils in compulsory schooling after lessons have ended and on days without school. Alongside support in doing homework and for examination preparation, these facilities also offer leisure time activities suited to the age of the respective children.
Child minders
Child minders predominantly look after small children, mostly together with their own children in a private home. The significance of this type of care has increased substantially in recent years, as the qualifications of childminders have improved. Training courses are obligatory. A nationwide curriculum for training courses has been developed. Training courses, which are carried out according to the quality standards specified in the curriculum, receive a stamp of quality.