Household payments for kindergarten, 15 January 2004, January

As of 1 May 2004 a regulation on households' payments in kindergartens is introduced. According to the regulation the households' payment for full-time care must not exceed NOK 2 750 a month. Average maximum payment in public kindergartens for children aged 3 years or more was about NOK 2 900 in January 2004. The maximum fee varies from NOK 2 000 to NOK 4 635 among the municipalities in the survey. Average minimum fee in public kindergartens was approximately NOK 1 450 in January 2004. The minimum- and maximum fee is the lowest/highest fee the municipalities have specified in their payment systems. The payment in public kindergartens was on average more than NOK 2 350 for households with a yearly income of NOK 250 000 , and about NOK 2 800 for households with an income of NOK 500 000. The kindergarten payments for the two levels of income in addition to the minimum- and maximum fee are reduced by 1.0 to 2.4 per cent from August 2003. During the last year the fees have decreased by 7.0 to 9.5 per cent.

The payment in private kindergartens was on average less than NOK 2 850 in January 2004. This is a reduction of 15.0 per cent from January 2003. The average fee in private kindergartens is still higher than the public kindergarten fee for households with an income of NOK 500 000, but below the maximum fee. The difference between the payments in the private and public kindergartens is thereby reduced.

Yearly payments

Yearly maximum payment for households with one child in public kindergarten was on average about NOK 32 600 in January 2004. This is a reduction of 8.6 per cent from January last year. The yearly payment for one child in kindergarten is besides the monthly fee, dependent upon cost fee and number of payments a year. According to the regulation on households' payments in kindergartens, the yearly payments must not exceed NOK 30 250 as of 1. May 2004. Average maximum payment for households with two children in public kindergarten was on average above NOK 54 000 in January 2004, a decline of 5.5 per cent from January 2003. The yearly payment for households with two children in kindergarten is in addition to the conditions mentioned above dependent on a reduction for the second child. A smaller reduction in the yearly payments for two children than for one child in public kindergarten is due to a decline in the second child reduction.

The yearly payment for households with one and two children in private kindergarten was on average less than NOK 32 700 and NOK 58 300 respectively in January 2004. Average payment on a yearly basis for one child in private kindergartens is thereby approximately the same as the yearly maximum payment in public kindergartens. The yearly payment for households with two children in private kindergarten is higher compared with the yearly maximum fee in public kindergarten. The difference is due to a lower average second child reduction in private than in public kindergartens.