Contributions from 2026?

Vienna’s free kindergarten is on the brink

In the fall of 2009, free kindergarten was introduced. Will it be history 17 years later?(Bild: HighwayStarz – stock.adobe.com)

Will Viennese parents soon have to pay for their children's kindergarten attendance again? Negotiations on the capital's tight budget are underway. City hall experts believe a social scale is possible. 

The Vienna Greens are convinced that the free kindergarten will be history from next year. The reason: the City of Vienna's tight financial situation. According to the Green Party, which rejects the abolition of free kindergarten fees, parents and guardians would be required to pay monthly fees - most likely on a socially staggered basis. 

Exception: nothing would be charged for the compulsory kindergarten year or, from 2027, for the two compulsory kindergarten years, as the federal government would cover the costs anyway.

This is what the City Councillor for Finance says
The office of City Councillor for Finance Barbara Novak (SPÖ) does not want to feed speculation: "We are still in the middle of the budget preparation process, which is not yet complete. We are therefore unable to announce any details as they have not yet been finalized," she said in response to an inquiry from Krone.

The free kindergarten was introduced in 2009 under the then mayor Michael Häupl (SPÖ). Since then, kindergarten attendance has been free for all children whose main residence is in Vienna until they start school.

Before 2009, parents had to pay fees of up to several hundred euros each month. Currently, the only costs incurred are for meals, additional activities or longer childcare hours.