The creche rang. City halls in the capital are setting up children’s groups instead
Where with him? This is the question asked by 31-year-old Lenka Procházková from Prague 10. In a year, she should return from parental leave, after two years, back to the bank. However, it is not at all certain whether it will actually start working.
Nursery/Illustrative photo.
| Photo: Deník / Stanislava Koblihová
“It would be ideal if they took my son to a traditional kindergarten. But he will be only two and a quarter years old next September, so I’m starting to look at private facilities as well,” bank clerk Procházková revealed to Pražský deník. In Prague 10, where he lives, crèches were abolished in 2013. They were replaced by children’s groups that fall under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Children’s groups in the tenth district are run by the Center for Social and Nursing Assistance, a non-profit organization that establishes three children’s groups. “55 children go there. There is therefore a constant high interest in children’s groups, but it is not increasing. That’s why we are not considering opening other children’s groups,” said Jan Hamrník, spokesman for Prague 10.
‘Two-year-olds’ in a classic kindergarten
Not even Klánovice operates a crèche. “We don’t know that there would be a demand for crèches here. Even historically, it was not a topic for social discussion here,” mayor Zorka Starčevičová told Pražské deník. And she added that in case of free capacity, the local kindergarten is accessible for children from the age of two.
Another town district – Kolovraty – does not have a crèche either. “However, we also opened three kindergarten classes in the year. And one is intended for so-called “two-year-olds”. There was a huge interest in her. In the 2021/2022 school year, 18 of them started,” says mayor Antonín Klecanda.
There is no subsidy
He is not thinking about setting up a crèche because he does not have the space for one. “First of all, we absolutely need to build a primary school, but the state does not provide any subsidies for the construction of primary schools. This has a very negative effect not only in Prague, but also in the Central Bohemia region. Subsidies are listed for roads, electric cars… But no one has listed any subsidies for nurseries, kindergartens or elementary schools,” the mayor is angry.
You won’t find a crèche in Prague 4 either. We currently have 140 places, and we will increase it to 155 from January 1, 2023. And today, after regular registrations, we know that 109 applicants have applied for children’s groups,” revealed Jiří Bigas, spokesman for Prague 4.
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They are also following the path of introducing children’s groups in Prague 7. “Although we do not have nurseries, we do support various schools, family facilities of private and public operators, which are often created in our non-residential premises and provide families with children with facilities,” described Hana Šišková, councilor for education.
We want a nursery, but we don’t have room
In Letňany, they also accepted two-year-old children who were born before October 31, 2019. However, we come across primarily, especially spatial, possibilities. We have found a partial solution in this matter in cooperation with the Sunflower Club – in the form of children’s groups that fill existing institutional facilities, thus creating a comprehensive system of care for children in Letňany,” said Mayor Zdeněk Kučera.
One of the few parts of the city where you can find crèches in the metropolis is Prague 2. Crèches Na Rybníčku have a capacity of forty places.
In September, another crèche in Londýnská Street will reopen after reconstruction. “There is a lot of interest in them, they are now almost occupied,” revealed Andrea Zoulová, spokeswoman for Prague 2. And she added that even if parents would be interested, increasing the capacity in nurseries is not possible from a construction point of view, because they are located in the historical development.