From 2022/2023 daycares with agreements with the social security system will be free for all children up to one years old. This measure will have a financial impact of 16 million euros in regard to the state budget this year, as planned in the last failed state budget that led to an earlier general election.
It gets better! From 2023/2024 the free childcare measure will include children up to 2 years old, instead of kids that are up to 1 year old. By the year after that, all children entering a creche, a school for kids under the age of 3, and children moving to the second and third year of primary school, will also take advantage of free childcare. This is a gradual measure that is thus set to take around 3 years.
At the time when this was proposed under the failed state budget in November, this specific measure passed with votes in favor from the Left Bloc (BE), the Socialist Party, (PS), People – Animals – Nature (PAN), PEV, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), CDS-PP, Chega and two other members of parliament. The only party that voted against this measure was the Liberal Initiative (IL), a center-right party.
This measure was set up to increase the birth rate which includes also fiscal deductions for families with children. Along with free childcare, other measures will “support families with children with free textbooks, the digital school with free computers and a reduction of tuitions”, according to page 44 of the state budget.
Guide to Having a Baby in Portugal
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