"We still don't support eliminating kindergarten fees, we're not voting in favor of it in the city government and our councilmembers will vote against it [in Tallinn City Council]," Jašin told Vikerraadio's "Uudis+" on Monday, referring to the Reform Party's ongoing bid to scrap the monthly fees. "That means our colleagues will have to seek support from the opposition as well."

The deputy mayor emphasized practical challenges tied to scrapping the fees as of this fall, warning that while the immediate cost of the move is estimated at €9 million, ongoing expenses will grow due to inflation, teacher salary hikes and much-needed renovations of city kindergarten facilities.

He noted that 80 kindergartens across the Estonian capital remain unrenovated, with renovations estimated to cost around €8 million each, and the cost of building a new one a little more than that.

"If there's a proposal to spend €10 million, then city residents need to understand that the cost of that is one or one and a half fewer kindergartens being built," Jašin said.

"All councilmembers who vote in favor of this are undermining the quality of early childhood education," he emphasized.

The deputy mayor also raised concerns about capacity and management. Removing the monthly fee could reduce parents' incentive to withdraw kids who attend kindergarten infrequently, making it harder to manage class sizes — especially since a new law will cap kindergarten class sizes at 20 children.

Demand is already high in several city districts, he noted, with areas like Pikaliiva and Kakumäe in Haabersti, Manufaktuuri in Põhja-Tallinn and Pirita facing outright shortages of kindergarten spots.

Jašin explained that while it's sometimes possible to find a kindergarten accepting new enrollments practically without a waitlist, it often isn't even in the same city district. Under-threes classes are also at capacity.

"And parents are left with the choice of going private or enrolling their kid in a kindergarten further away," he added. "Those aren't good options."

Other early childhood education support measures

Tallinn's ruling coalition — made up of the Reform Party, Eesti 200, Isamaa and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) — began to falter in recent months, as Reform pushed to eliminate monthly kindergarten fees starting this fall, a move opposed by its coalition partners.

According to Jašin, it's unlikely that the city government would simply return to normal if the remaining three parties were to concede to Reform's demands. However, that point could be reached with the adoption of a second supplementary city budget including other measures essential to early childhood education, such as support for private kindergartens.

In any case, he emphasized, Eesti 200 has been clear that kindergarten fees in the capital will not be scrapped with their votes.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!