- Funding for personnel costs in primary education has quadrupled since 2008
- In 2022 alone, around 103 million euros in personnel costs in elementary schools
- Incitement to more activity all day and all year round
- Promotion of management activities in elementary educational institutions
- Better support also for the second and third groups
“Our goal is to make Tyrol the most family-friendly federal state. Above all, this means that work and family can be reconciled. For this reason, we make an additional 18.25 million euros available each year staff costs already budgeted for elementary education establishments”, informs the financial officer. HL Gunther tray, that a total of €102.65 million will be available for staff funding in 2022 alone, and in 2023 it will be around €106.95 million. By way of comparison: almost four times more funds are made available for staff costs than in 2008 with 23.8 million euros. The funding was granted as part of the amendment to the Tyrolean Education and Childcare Act today, Tuesday, during the government session at the request of the Minister of Education. Beate Palfrader decided: “With this injection of funds, we are creating even better conditions for facility managers to provide quality elementary education all day and all year round”, emphasizes HL flat 84.4 million euros were already planned for personnel costs for 2022 and 88.7 million euros for 2023. “The additional 18.25 million euros are an incentive for service providers – municipalities as well as private establishments – primary education establishments to extend opening hours, particularly during holidays. Families and especially single parents need more support here,” Palfrader is convinced. “However, maintainers who already provide all-day, year-round care should also benefit.”
Holiday hours have been redesigned
The holiday opening promotion is redesigned and at the same time significantly increased. Until now, the funding was staggered according to the number of days the establishment was closed. The new subsidy is calculated according to the opening hours of the establishment during the holiday periods. In addition, support for management activities in elementary schools will be put in place. “The lifestyles of parents have changed a lot in recent years, and with them the challenges of reconciling family and work. With this important amendment, we are adapting the law to the changed social conditions and thus creating a high-quality, needs-based education and care offer that will benefit even more parents and, above all, children living in Tyrol in the future”, emphasizes Deputy LHSin Ingrid Philip.
President of the municipal association and himself mayor of Sölden, Ernst Schoepf, points out: “The education and care of children is very important for the representatives of the Tyrolean communities as those responsible for public childcare facilities. The foundations for a successful life are laid in early childhood. It is all the more important to create the same quality and needs-based framework conditions for all children. However, the associated financial challenges are far from being manageable by municipalities alone. With the additional funds made available by the state in the field of personnel cost promotion, a very significant contribution is made to the even more precise achievement of the above-mentioned goal. The spokeswoman for the Tyrolean childcare platform, Birgit Scheidle, is delighted not only with the result, but also with the way to achieve it: “Our combined expertise from practice has been heard by politicians. Our central request, namely the performance-based financing of the holiday opening, is now implemented with a good financing rate of 30 euros per open hour. This will lead to more opening hours during the holidays and will be a direct improvement for families with children.
What do these measures actually mean:
All providers of elementary schools benefit from this change. Especially those with longer opening hours and an attractive offer during the holidays.
- In the future, the second group will be financed with an additional 4,000 euros and the third with an additional 2,000 euros.
- Elementary schools will in future receive new funding for management activities. For the first group in the amount of 2,339 euros and for each additional group in the amount of 668 euros.
- The financing of vacations has also been put on a new basis. In the future, 30 euros will be paid per hour of treatment and group. Holidays are thus promoted fairly according to specific opening hours.
- The improved subsidy rates mean up to 58,000 euros more subsidy per year for a four-group kindergarten with a holiday opening of 800 hours.
Forest kindergartens are rooted as a form of childcare
Due to constant developments in the pedagogical field, forest kindergartens are legally anchored as a form of childcare and are no longer carried out on an experimental basis. LRin Palfrader: “Care in forest kindergartens has proven itself in childcare trials and has proven itself in practice.”
Tyrolean law on education and childcare in a comparison of federal states
The Tyrolean Education and Childcare Act was passed in 2010 and significantly amended in 2016. A comparison of the federal states shows that the law has brought many benefits to Tyrol. “With 20 children, especially in kindergartens, we have the smallest groups in Austria. In addition, the law provides for compulsory double occupancy in all establishments – including in Horten”, says LRin Palfrader. The training required for assistants is regulated by law. The duty of care to ensure the compatibility of family and work and the assessment of the needs necessary for this purpose are also anchored in the law.
Fact box – Numbers, dates, facts about childcare in Tyrol
- In the 2021/22 childcare year, 896 childcare facilities – 484 kindergartens, 301 nurseries (including children’s groups) and 111 after-school clubs – are available in Tyrol.
- 32,500 children, or 795 children more than the previous year, are currently cared for in institutional crèches.
- 5,470 people are employed as teaching staff in kindergartens, crèches and after-school clubs. This is 2,918 more people than in 2008/09, when 2,552 people were employed in kindergartens, crèches and after-school clubs.
- In the current reception year, there are 118 crèches, 156 kindergartens and 25 after-school daycare centers more than five years ago (2016/2017).
- Tyrolean childminders look after 594 children up to the age of 14 in 2021/22.
- A total of 8,866 additional children have been cared for in Tyrol since 2008/2009. In 2021/22, 32,500 children will be cared for, in 2008/09 there were 23,634 children.
Brief minutes of the government meeting
Ukraine: In order to create a psychosocial care and supply structure for people in Ukraine seeking protection, the government of the Land of Tyrol decided today, at the request of the Minister of Social Affairs Gabrielle Fisher 332,000 euros to be expected. The funds will be used to promote the offers of the “Ankyra – Center for intercultural psychotherapy” structures and the parent-child centers. “After close coordination with both institutions, we can provide an appropriate psychosocial support service that aims to support and help people who are often traumatized – adults as well as children”, emphasizes L/Rin sinner. Currently, women and children in particular are fleeing – they should have the opportunity to get expert support and exchange ideas with like-minded people in many places in Tyrol. In addition, culturally sensitive and interpreter-assisted psychotherapy for people who have lived through and survived violence, war and displacement and are suffering from the psychological and physical effects of these experiences is also crucial. The support offers can be consulted on www.tirol.gv.at/ukraine, section “FAQ / Medical and psychosocial support”.
Corona early detection system: For request of HL Gunther tray and Minister of Health Annette Leja The epidemiological early detection system consisting of the comprehensive sewage monitoring established and the ongoing tests for Covid antibodies in the blood of blood donors as well as the regular holistic assessments including prognosis calculations will be continued. Up to 880,000 euros will be made available for this until the end of 2022. As it can be assumed that the corona situation will continue, the early warning system will also be extended. “The combination of different prognostic models has already proven itself and, thanks to a comprehensive and detailed picture of the situation of the infection process, enables the Tyrolean authorities to make an overall assessment as well as to take targeted and locally limited measures “, did he declare. mentioned LRin Leja. Wastewater monitoring in particular is an essential part of this, because the viral load can be monitored almost completely in all sewage treatment plants in Tyrol and thus in the entire population. The data for this purpose is permanently available at www.tirol.gv.at/covid-abwasser.
UMIT and F H-Health (fhg): At the request of the State Health and Science Advisor Annette Leja the Tyrolean science and research site will continue to be funded: within the framework of the next funding period of UMIT TIROL, the framework conditions for which have already been decided, will now be available for the Research Committee on questions of ethics (RCSEQ) for the academic years 2021/22 to 2027/28 UMIT TIROL, which will also be at the disposal of the fhg, has planned around 218,000 euros. The RCSEQ is an independent, interdisciplinary and decision-making body of UMIT respectively. fhg, which examines research projects before they are carried out according to scientific and ethical criteria from the point of view of personal data and/or groups of people particularly worthy of protection. “Research must be conducted in a transparent, reliable and understandable way. It must respect the rights of participants and engage with the general public. It is all the more important to support such an institution accordingly.” L/Rin Leja.