Household payments for kindergarten, 15 January 2002, January

Since August 2001 the kindergarten fees have declined on all the levels of income. Due to increased kindergarten subsidy as of July 2001 several of the municipalities had already reduced the kindergarten fees by August 2001, while others have adopted the resolution during the last six months.

Families with a total gross income of NOK 500 000 have an average monthly payment of about NOK 2 900 for children aged three years or more in public kindergartens. This is a decrease of 3.2 per cent from August 2001. Oslo and Akershus have the highest fees with approximately NOK 3 500. The payments in the counties of Finnmark and Sogn and Fjordane are the lowest, with about NOK 2 500. The average payment for households with a total gross income of NOK 100 000 is approximately NOK 2 000.

The payment system

The great differences in the kindergarten fees are to a large extent due to the different payment systems, which the municipalities themselves have the authority to form. 65 of the 109 municipalities in the survey have the same payments regardless of total gross income, while the remaining municipalities use fees that vary according to the income. All municipalities have price reductions for the second child and 52 municipalities offer 50 per cent off.

Public and private kindergartens

The monthly payments for a child in private kindergartens differ among the five Norwegian regions from about NOK 3 000 to NOK 3 700. The average monthly payment of the five regions is higher than the public fees on all the levels of income. With a total gross income of NOK 500 000 the difference is approximately NOK 500. For households with a total income of NOK 100 000 the difference is closer to NOK 1 400.