What needs to change

Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor calls for better childcare

From left: AK team leader for education policy Laura Kepplinger and President Andreas Stangl

(Bild: David Ruis)

The Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor is calling for comprehensive child education and care services that enable parents to work full-time. A current study on criteria for a high-quality expansion points to weaknesses, but also to possible solutions. 

According to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor, Upper Austria still has some catching up to do in terms of child education and childcare. There are currently too few places available, particularly for children attending crèches. The "attendance rate" for children under the age of three was only 22.3 percent last year. This is the second lowest figure in Austria and is well below the Austrian average of 32.8%.

Upper Austria far below average
The situation is also bleak when it comes to childcare places that allow parents to work full-time. Such facilities must be open at least 45 hours a week, from Monday to Friday and at least 9.5 hours on four days a week for at least 47 weeks in the kindergarten year. They must also offer lunch. In Upper Austria, such places are only available to 6.4 percent of this age group. In the other federal states (excluding Vienna), the average figure is 17.2 percent.

Facilities should also open during off-peak hours
Opening hours that make family and work compatible are a key concern of parents. Although the statutory extension of the minimum annual opening hours to 47 weeks represents a significant improvement, a look at the daily opening hours shows that seven out of ten crèches and kindergartens in Upper Austria close before 4pm. This puts Upper Austria in last place in a comparison of federal states with 71%. In comparison: Tyrol is in second-last place with 52 percent.

At 55%, Upper Austria has the highest part-time rate among women in a national comparison and at the same time has the second-lowest attendance rate for under-threes.

Smaller groups, more resources
The gradual reduction in kindergarten group sizes, as planned in Upper Austria by 2028/29, is an important measure. An important aspect for employee satisfaction is being able to cope well with their increasing workload. In addition to administrative support staff, more resources are needed for social and socio-educational work as well as for language support. "Measures are urgently needed to increase job satisfaction in early childhood education. This also includes a training offensive to meet the demand for skilled workers," says AK President Stangl.

Demand for improvement
The Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor is therefore calling for a nationwide binding quality framework plan for crèches and kindergartens, the massive expansion of child education and childcare places with flexible opening hours that also cover off-peak times and integration places and an increase in the financial resources earmarked for this, as well as an expansion of language support. The Chamber would also like to see a second compulsory year of free kindergarten for all children.