The government is proposing to change the system of cash benefits for children aged 13 to 23 months. Under the new rules, the allowance for children aged 13 to 19 months will continue, while the allowance for children aged 20 to 23 months will be stopped. Instead, all one-year-olds will be entitled to a nursery place or cash assistance.
The Minister for Children and Families, Kjersti Toppe, emphasizes that the proposed solution will allow families with small children to freely choose to receive financial support and take care of their children themselves. In addition, delaying the opening of the kindergarten by several months will be more realistic for parents of the youngest children.
The government's proposal is a continuation of the postulate of the Hurdal platform, which postulates the cessation of the allowance for children aged 18 to 24 months and the introduction of a toddler allowance for those who apply for a place in kindergarten, but did not receive it. The government has decided to continue cash support for children aged 13 to 19 months and not to introduce support for young children. Instead, the government will provide cash support for families with the youngest yearlings.
Also read: How to apply for a place in kindergarten in Norway?
Education Minister Tonje Brenna explains that the government's goal is to enable as many children as possible to attend kindergartens without financial obstacles. Therefore, the price of the kindergarten was reduced in two installments. According to Brenna, the preschool is beneficial for both children and families.
The government decided that it was simpler and more predictable for families to introduce changes to the Benefits Act money than introducing a small child allowance. The small child benefit was supposed to be a waiting benefit for people who submitted an application but did not receive a place in kindergarten. However, the government decided that introducing a new system would be too complicated and less beneficial than continuing cash support for an additional month.
In summary, proposed by Norwegian government the solution guarantees that all families will have the right to a place in kindergarten or financial support. A benefit period of 13 to 19 months will be more consistent with the child's rights to kindergarten than a benefit period of 13 to 18 months.
“The government's goal was to promote a simple and unbureaucratic solution that is easy for families to understand and adapt to,” says Toppe.
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Source: regjeringen
