Day-care policy in Norway is rooted in common European social and educational traditions that have been merged over time to create institutions in which the care of children and their learning and development are seen as a unified whole. According to Norwegian policy, society is responsible for creating a setting within which families can perform their care functions. The increased participation of women on the workforce has generated a mounting need for adequate day-care programmes. The day-care institution is a supplement to the home environment, and enables children to test and develop the social and emotional basis laid at home. It can also be seen as a voluntary part of Norway’s overall educational system.
Day-care institutions in Norway vary widely in terms of substance, ownership and funding. The overall responsibility for building and operation of day-care institutions lies with the municipal authorities, who are also in charge of monitoring compliance with existing legislation. The State provides grants for the establishment and operation of public as well as private day-care institutions, and all institutions are eligible for funding subject to the approval of the municipal authorities. There are currently not enough public day-care facilities to meet the demand, and privately-owned day-care institutions provide 40% of the total number of places available on a national basis.
In July 2003, each municipality became responsible for creating a framework for a joint application process for admission to its public and private day-care facilities, and for ensuring that its day-care institutions can meet local enrolment needs. A national maximum price scheme for participation in day-care programmes has been adopted and will be introduced gradually. As from May 2004, the price of enrolment in an ordinary day-care institution is not to exceed NOK 2,750 per month. Government funding to the municipalities for day-care programmes was increased substantially in 2003, partly to compensate for the introduction of the maximum price scheme and partly because the municipalities are now required to ensure that all approved day-care institutions receive equal financial treatment.
The statutory provisions pertaining to Norwegian day-care institutions are set out in the Day-Care Institutions Act of 1995. The goals, quality requirements and main principles underlying day-care programmes are established in a specific framework plan drawn up by the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs.
At the end of 2003, approximately 69% of all children aged 1-5 were enrolled at day-care institutions. It is a stated Government objective to make day-care programmes available to all parents seeking enrolment for their children by the year 2005. Importance is also attached to ensuring diversity in the type of programmes available, so as to give parents choices with regard to number of hours per week, group size and educational content.
Cash benefit for parents with small children
A special cash benefit has been introduced to help parents to spend more time caring for their own children and to give them genuine freedom of choice as regards type of care for their children. This benefit is also designed to bring about greater equality in the transfers the individual family receives from the State for childcare, irrespective of the childcare arrangements made by the parents.
The cash benefit is granted for children between 1 and 3 years of age who are either not enrolled or are only enrolled part-time at a day-care institution receiving operating support from the State. The cash benefit is granted in the amounts fixed by the Storting (Norwegian national assembly). In August 2004 the full rate was set at NOK 3,657 (approx. EUR 457) per month. The cash benefit is only granted at the full rate for children who are not enrolled at a state-supported day-care institution.
If a child is officially enrolled part-time at a state-supported day-care institution, a reduced-rate cash benefit is granted according to an incremental scale. Children enrolled at a day-care institution for more than 33 hours per week are not eligible for the cash benefit. The cash benefit is granted to the person with whom the child is living permanently. The benefit recipient and the child must be resident in Norway. The cash benefit is also paid for children living in another EEA country if the provider is working in Norway.
A child is deemed to be resident in Norway when it has spent or intends to spend more than 12 months in Norway. A temporary stay abroad of up to three months does not cut short a period of residence. As a general rule, the cash benefit is not granted for children living permanently with employees of foreign representations or other official foreign administrative services in Norway.
By the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs