Active in Nursery is one of three arms of the government's Active Parenting Programme, which replaces Family Care Capital. Thanks to this scheme, parents of children aged 1 to 3 who attend nursery schools, children's clubs and daycare providers can receive up to PLN 1,500 per month per child (PLN 1,900 for children with disabilities) .
Registration for the program opened on October 1st.
“We are also very active in daycare.'' When and how do parents pay?
How does “being active in daycare” actually work? We found that it varied and varied greatly from facility to facility.
This part of the government program, unlike “Active at Home” or “Active Parents at Work,” assumes that parents are exempt from transferring funds. The money goes directly to the nursery school and each month parents will see the amount of fees they paid in the previous month. Because, importantly, this program pays you money for the past month, i.e. November for October, December for November, and so on.
In fact, it has been discovered that some educational institutions have been collecting parent fees since October in accordance with their contracts.
– This is our situation – we are paying as usual and are supposed to receive a refund when the nursery receives the money transfer from ZUS. Our payment is less than 1,500 PLN, so this should cover the full amount – says Anna. The situation is similar at the nursery school where Patricha's son attends. – We still sent more than 1,700 PLN each month to the nursery school. The management assured us that there would be a refund, but they were waiting for the money themselves. He points out that this is the first time he has received a month's refund after three transfers.
“We are also active in the nursery school.” We know the payment schedule
The move began at the end of November. As ZUS spokesperson Wojciech Dąbrówka points out, more than 148,300 PLN was paid at the time. Benefits exceeded PLN 188.7 million. Subsequent applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but it is already known that the transfer is scheduled for the 20th of the same month.
The money is then transferred to your branch account every 20th day of the month. If the parent has already paid the fee, the money must be returned to the parent's account.
Some daycare centers have been experiencing financial problems since the new system began. They were waiting for funds from ZUS and did not collect money from parents or only the amount above 1,500 złoty with subsidies.
– Since October, we have only been paying for the child's food. It's about 200-300 złoty a month. Paulina says that the tuition fees are fully covered by the new program and that we as parents basically don't care when the nursery school receives the money.
The total tuition fee of PLN 1,500 includes the cost of meals, so I have heard of cases where parents are exempted from paying the full amount.
Tuition fee increase
However, many interlocutors point to rising wages. As the saying goes, daycare seemed like an easy way to get money.
– We are the only facility in our area that has not increased our rates. So far, the amount paid in one nursery school was PLN 1,400 and in another it was PLN 1,500, which has been increased to PLN 1,800. Katarzyna says her parents will never come clean like me. The monthly fee for her daughter's nursery school is PLN 2,200. – I have 700 zlotys from the city and 1,500 zlotys left to pay, which will fully cover the program – he enumerates.
Municipal nursery schools will also raise or plan to raise prices from the new fiscal year. This is the case, for example, in Krakow, where fees “jump” from PLN 299 to PLN 1,500 per month. In other words, the amount will be the same as the amount of benefits for those who are “actively attending nursery school.''
In theory, this is not a problem for parents who ultimately have to break even on the fees. However, in reality, in the case of daycare centers that collect childcare fees in advance and refund them, they will “block'' any amounts beyond that amount. You have to pay PLN 1,500 at the beginning of the month and wait for the money to be transferred after the 20th of the month.
– You could say it's nothing, you should be happy because he's coming back anyway. I am the only one with two children in the nursery school, so it costs 3,000 zlotys. PLN already has a large budget built into its monthly budget – says Jakub. He also emphasizes the importance of payment schedules. – You can always plan somehow, – he added.
Judita also hopes for such a plan. Then, as the nursery manager told her, she would not pay the full amount, but the amount reduced by the subsidy. – Currently, the nursery will refund us when they receive the money from ZUS. Once this situation normalizes, we will only pay the difference – he points out.
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