Tuition and Meals Subsidy Scheme allowances paid

The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare informs that the Welfare Benefits Management Service has completed the payment of benefits for the month of September for the Tuition Subsidy and Feeding Scheme for children up to 4 years of age. It is reminded that the amount of the subsidy for each eligible child is paid directly to the provider (nursery or kindergarten) with the parents being informed at the same time. Under the terms of the Scheme, providers deduct the amount of the subsidy from the total monthly fees.

In total, 357 kindergartens and nurseries had shown interest in participating in the Plan, of which 341 have been approved and signed relevant contracts. The remaining 16 applications do not meet the conditions for announcing the Plan and have been rejected.

Based on the applications submitted by the parents, a total of 6.522 children have been approved and made eligible for a subsidy of 80% of their monthly tuition costs, with a maximum monthly subsidy ranging from €100 to €350 for each child. To calculate the subsidy, the total income of the family, the age of the child, the composition of the family and the school hours of the child are taken into account. In total, an amount of €902.000 has been paid for the children whose schooling began in September.

Through the Plan, the Government aims, among other things, to strengthen families, in a way that ensures the multifaceted support of the child and the balancing of professional and family life, facilitating the integration of women and men into the labor market, with the consequent reduction of the gender employment gap. In addition, with this Plan, the aim is to increase children's access to quality preschool education and care, without exclusions.