The government has designed a new model for fiscally sustainable kindergartens under which towns and municipalities will receive funds that will relieve their budgets and parents will pay less, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday.

The model completes our efforts in developing a quality preschool system available to all children, he said at a cabinet session, adding that the government is ensuring funds for local government units as kindergarten founders as well as for private kindergartens.

This is the first government that will ensure systematic support for kindergarten financing by contributing from 6.25% to as much as 50% of the average accommodation price per child, depending on the degree of development of a town or municipality, Plenkovic said.

The Science and Education Ministry yesterday put to public consultation a draft decree on criteria for determining the amounts for fiscally sustainable kindergartens. Financing will begin on 1 October and over €70 million will be set aside annually. The amount for the City of Zagreb will be €7.7 million.

This support allows towns and municipalities to relieve their budgets and invest additionally in kindergarten construction, higher wages, and additional staff, Plenkovic said.

Care for people living on the islands and in the mountain regions is a priority, so the government will raise the financing amounts for them by 15%. “It’s all part of our policy to enhance preschool education, an upgrade of what we are doing in school education,” he said.

He also mentioned free textbooks, transport and meals in primary schools, saying the newest tax changes will boost the fiscal autonomy of municipalities and towns, which then will be able to contribute to this policy and care for the youngest ones.

He recalled that €530 million is being set aside from the ministry’s budget to increase kindergarten capacity for 39,000 more children. “Thereby we will contribute to our goal that 90% of children in Croatia have their place in a kindergarten. Only three years ago, we were at 78%.”