Day care free of charge for all children born after September 1, 2021 begins in September, with 100,000 children expected to be reached within two years, according to the Government and Social and Solidarity sector agreement.
Information from the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS) released today to Lusa indicates that the agreement is ready and the ordinance that regulates the gratuity has already been signed and will be published this week.
The agreement between the Government and representative organizations of the social and solidarity sector (União das Misericórdias, National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions, Confecoop and União das Mutualidades) establishes that the gratuity includes "all pedagogical activities carried out (except activities extra pedagogical project ), food, registration and insurance costs, as well as costs for extended opening hours".
In the debate on the State of the Nation, last Wednesday, the Prime Minister, António Costa, announced that he had concluded an agreement between the executive and the social sector to ensure that daycare centers are free for children born on September 1st. 2021 and who attend daycare for the first time from September 2022.
Today, in an information sent to Agência Lusa, the MTSSS explains that the gratuity applies to children who attend daycare centers in the social and solidarity sector, regardless of the room they come to attend.
"Until 2024, day care free of charge will be implemented in a phased manner, increasing annually another year of day care covered, up to all children in the social and solidarity network. are in day care", explains the Ministry.
"Free day care is a decisive and priority measure for the country, both in combating child poverty, promoting integration and equal access to opportunities and breaking cycles of poverty, and in promoting a policy of support for families, in particular to young people who need support and conditions to stay in Portugal, to become autonomous and start a family", says, quoted in the document, the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho.
The MTSSS also highlights in the agreement the establishment of a "prioritization" in the allocation of places for children.
Priority is given to children with disabilities and/or incapacity, children from more deprived families, children whose parents are primary informal caregivers, children from single-parent households or large families and whose parents live or work in the area, or children flagged as at risk.
In relation to values, the information given to Lusa explains that, as for the children covered in the first phase of the agreement, who go to daycare in September, the contributions that the parents paid are now assumed by the Government.
"Currently, Social Security pays 293 euros for each child attending daycare centers in the social and solidarity sector and families pay an additional variable co-payment amount. that was borne by the families, that is, the total technical cost of the response in the amount of 460 euros", explains the MTSSS.
Last week, the president of the National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions, Father Lino Maia, told Lusa that around 80,000 children should attend daycare for free from September, as he estimates that there are currently around 50,000 children attend day care free of charge because parents are in the 1st and 2nd income brackets.
Also last week, the association that represents private daycare centers accused the Government of discrimination, by excluding the sector from the agreement that allows daycare centers to be guaranteed free of charge for children aged 1 year, starting in September.