State helps with expansion

Tyrolean companies focus on childcare

Provincial Councillor Cornelia Hagele (right) and Stefan Haigner (left).(Bild: Land Tirol/Hörmann)

The province of Tyrol wants to further expand company childcare and is supporting companies with funding. According to an expert, all sectors of the Tyrolean economy benefit from child education. Kindergartens and crèches located at companies would lead to a "better work-life balance", says Provincial Councillor Cornelia Hagele.

Exactly 33 companies in Tyrol have their own child education and childcare facilities for their employees' toddlers. Currently, around 750 children are looked after by more than 230 teachers and assistants. If the state has its way, many more crèches and kindergartens are to be built at companies.

This goal is also set out in the ten-point action plan, which provides for the right to a childcare place by 2026, as the "Krone" has reported on several occasions.

Companies with family-friendly measures can help to make it easier for families to organize childcare - which in turn leads to a better work-life balance.

Cornelia Hagele

Non-repayable subsidy from the state
For companies that organize childcare, the state provides funding in the form of a non-repayable grant of up to 10,000 euros. In addition, the company childcare facilities also receive support for the creation of new childcare places of up to 190,000 euros as well as funding for staff deployment.

"Companies with family-friendly measures can help to make it easier for families to organize childcare - which in turn leads to a better work-life balance," says Cornelia Hagele (ÖVP), State Councillor for Education.

"All sectors of the economy benefit"
As Stefan Haigner from the Gesellschaft für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung and head of the company kindergarten of the state of Tyrol emphasizes, "the regional economic effect of child education and childcare is so widespread that, in addition to construction, accommodation and gastronomy or trade, all Tyrolean economic sectors ultimately benefit directly or indirectly".