Parties still split on kindergarten fee abolition plan in Tallinn
Among parties running for Tallinn City Council, views are split on scrapping kindergarten fees, but Center Party wants spots free for all.
The issue of kindergarten fees split Tallinn's ruling coalition this summer, when the Reform Party unexpectedly sided with the Center Party in supporting their abolition. After the elections, however, Reform no longer plans to pursue it.
"The most important thing right now is that kindergartens are close to people's homes or workplaces. The kindergarten fee issue is no longer relevant," said Maris Lauri, Reform's candidate for Tallinn mayor.
Isamaa does not directly oppose abolishing the fee but argues that there are far more urgent concerns that need attention.
"In 2030, new preschool education requirements will take effect and nearly 80 kindergartens in Tallinn won't meet them. That is the first task, and it requires very large investments," said Isamaa leader and Tallinn mayoral candidate Urmas Reinsalu.
"The biggest problem right now is access to nursery spots. As of spring, about 3,000 children in Tallinn were waiting for one. The shortage is particularly severe in the Kesklinn and Põhja-Tallinn districts. Parents in Kesklinn are being told to send their kids to Lasnamäe, and that is not normal," Reinsalu added.
Parempoolsed supports keeping the kindergarten fee. Party leader Lavly Perling said that people who do not place their children in kindergarten should not have to bear the cost.
Center Party, Tallinn's most popular party, still wants to eliminate the fee in order to continue plans that were interrupted. That does not rule out creating new spots.
"The scale of investments is actually much larger than the operating costs tied to free kindergartens. In reality, we'd need an additional €10–12 million in operating expenses to make kindergartens free. But that equals the cost of renovating one or two kindergartens," said Center Party leader and Tallinn mayoral candidate Mihhail Kõlvart.
The Social Democrats will not make abolishing the fee their first priority after the elections, but they will not block it either.
"Kindergarten fees will definitely not remain in place because of us, but our priority is to first build kindergartens close to home. For example, there is a shortage in Pikaliiva, we want to build one immediately in Lepiku, and in Kalamaja and Kesklinn there are many areas without a single nearby kindergarten," said Madle Lippus, head of SDE's Tallinn branch.
EKRE supports free kindergarten spots. Eesti 200 remains in favor of keeping the fee.
--
Editor: Marcus Turovski, Johanna Alvin
