Location factor

Demand for childcare continues to rise

When parents are at work, children often have to be looked after externally.

(Bild: Fettinger)

The 2023 annual report shows: The number of childcare places in Vorarlberg continues to rise - as do the costs.

Governor Markus Wallner and education officer Barbara Schöbi-Fink (both ÖVP) presented the annual report on the childcare situation in Vorarlberg on Tuesday, and the figures speak for themselves. More and more parents want to have their children looked after away from home. There has been a particularly high increase in the number of under-threes: 34.7 percent of children in this group were looked after externally last year. "We had some catching up to do here, and now we are in third place compared to the rest of the country," explained Wallner.

Over 90 percent of children between the ages of three and five are now being looked after. Other figures, such as the budget, also show that demand and supply are increasing: While around 70 million euros were spent on childcare in 2019, this figure had already risen to over 100 million in 2023, and this year this area will hit 130 million euros. A total of around 16,700 children are currently being looked after.

These figures show a social development - and it costs a lot of money.

Landeshauptmann Markus Wallner

"These figures show a social development - and it costs a lot of money, a budgetary challenge - and we have not yet reached the end of the line," said Wallner. However, it is also clear to those responsible that well-developed childcare is an economically relevant factor. It is not for nothing that the state government is repeatedly called upon to optimize the framework conditions for this.

New assessment method
A new project will be launched in the fall to assess child development. Behind the name "Kidit" is a survey tool that replaces the old Vorarlberg observation sheet. The latter was particularly focused on deficits, but the new tool is also intended to point out the child's potential and therefore any special support needs, explained Schöbi-Fink.