When working with Tallinn's previous city government, we launched an ambitious plan to improve the poor condition of schools and kindergartens and to address the shortage of available places. The new city budget, however, puts a clear stop to that. Unfortunately, this has a negative impact on all of Tallinn, starting with the birth rate.

In recent years, Estonia's birth rate has fallen to historically low levels, sparking renewed public debate. The root of the problem lies in demographics: the proportion of women of childbearing age within the overall population is now also historically low. But that's not the only factor. Studies show that young people lack confidence in starting families and having children, which has prompted a broader search for ways to restore that lost sense of security.

A simple and therefore tempting solution for many is to hand out more cash to young families. Under the leadership of Isamaa, the new city budget includes a plan to do just that — providing additional support to mothers who stay at home. However, research does not show such measures to be effective.

In the short term, cash handouts may offer some sense of security — though Tallinn's proposed €250 support payment to stay-at-home mothers unfortunately won't achieve even that in most cases. In the long term, such payouts fail to address the systemic issue: access to the services needed to raise children. It's precisely the availability of services — along with the resulting improved opportunities for parents to return to and participate consistently in the labor market — that has been shown in research to have a real impact on families' confidence and willingness to have children.

To keep this from getting too broad, I'll focus primarily on access to kindergarten and school places. If there's no available nursery spot or if the nearest school is several kilometers away and in poor condition, we cannot blame parents for seeking better alternatives. But those alternatives almost certainly require more money and more time.

Over the past couple of decades, Tallinn has seen a boom in residential development, especially among young families purchasing homes. Entirely new neighborhoods have sprung up in Haabersti, particularly in the Pikaliiva subdistrict, as well as in Põhja-Tallinn and construction has surged in Pirita as well.

The transformation of industrial areas in Põhja-Tallinn into new residential neighborhoods continues rapidly today, with a new phase of the Volta Quarter completed and the Manufaktuuri development nearing completion. But a city cannot grow by merely allowing new housing construction; it must also develop the accompanying social infrastructure. Unfortunately, parents in places like Pikaliiva, where the influx of children equals the capacity of a 12-group kindergarten, are having to take their kids to Õismäe or even to kindergartens in other districts despite a strong desire for nearby options.

That's why, in the previous city government, we actively worked to plan new kindergartens and schools, including in underserved areas. Detailed plans were completed in fall 2025 for kindergartens on Lepiku tee in Pirita and in the Krulli Quarter. The planning process for building a kindergarten and school in Pikaliiva is in its final stages, we completed the design for the Manufaktuuri kindergarten in Põhja-Tallinn and several other projects were in progress.

But now the current city government has begun cutting back in a field it claims is a priority. Whereas it's typical to begin construction on four kindergartens in a year (this year, three will be completed and another two are due in early 2027), this year only one new kindergarten will break ground — Manufaktuuri Kindergarten in Põhja-Tallinn. Overall funding for education investments is also being reduced. In 2025, the allocation was €96.4 million; in 2026, it drops to €89.3 million for a €7 million reduction in investment.

Looking more closely at the kindergarten-specific budget lines, the cut is even larger — €8 million in reduced investment. This can't be justified by claiming there aren't enough projects ready to go; even the budget's explanatory memorandum states that five kindergarten projects with valid building permits are ready. Yet the long-awaited design for the Lepiku tee kindergarten in Pirita isn't even included in the plans.

Although the current national regulation requiring all kindergartens to meet modern standards by 2030 remains in effect, there appears to be no real plan to achieve it. And regrettably, the new city government has failed to produce a budget strategy that would provide a clearer picture of how this goal could possibly be met with a drastically reduced construction pace and a tightened budget.

Based on the information available, I suspect the plan is to make only the most urgent repairs in the worst-off kindergartens — paint the walls and replace ventilation systems where absolutely necessary. But what's disheartening is that the list of kindergartens in desperate need of renovation is already long and only grows longer the more the city government delays.

In an interview with Delfi, Deputy Mayor Riina Solman, who oversees Tallinn's social and health sectors, said her "heart bleeds" because there's not enough money to go around. Yes, it's true that budgets aren't elastic, but priorities must still be set wisely. No city government, regardless of which parties are in charge, can afford to skimp on children and the education system.

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