Households’ payments in kindergartens, rates of change, 15 August 2000, January

The largest increase occurred in the Eastern region of Norway from January to August this year, with 2.7 per cent. The private fees have increased more than the public ones. Roughly 25 per cent of the municipalities have increased their fees and more than 50 per cent of the private ones have done the same during the last six months.

From August 1999 to August 2000 the fees went up by 4.3 per cent, which is considerably lower than the rise in August last year. The Eastern region experienced the strongest growth with 5.6 per cent while the Southwestern region has had a minor adjustment of 1.2 per cent. Private and public kindergartens increased about the same last year.

From 1995 the fees have risen by nearly 24 per cent. The increase in the kindergarten fees has been considerably higher than the increase in the Consumer Price Index, which has risen by 11.9 per cent in the same period. The fees in the Eastern region have increased the most, by approximately 27 per cent, while the increase in the Southwestern region was substantially lower than in the other regions, with less than 19 per cent.