At Småtjern nature nursery in Lunner municipality, the children are mostly outside. In rough terrain, the children can play freely. Jørgen Kjørven built the nursery himself and runs it privately. But now he sees the future darkly. – If the proposal leads to them taking away some places here in my nursery school, then I will have to close down. Kjørven fears for the future of his kindergarten. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news A few weeks after Kari Nessa Nordtun (Ap) took over as Minister of Education, she submitted changes to the Kindergarten Act for consultation. The rules were over 20 years old, and with fewer and fewer new-born children, the Kindergarten Act had to be renewed. Private kindergartens are particularly critical of the new proposals. Here are the government’s proposals for changes to the Kindergarten Act: Proposal to give the municipality the opportunity to adjust the number of kindergarten places based on the need for places. The ministry proposes to give the municipality the opportunity to change the approved number of kindergarten places every 10 years in the event of excess capacity in all or parts of the municipality. Proposal to give the municipality the opportunity to issue local regulations with requirements that will apply to all kindergartens in the municipality. The ministry proposes to give the municipality the opportunity to issue regulations on prioritization when admitting children, opening hours, staffing and competence and maximum level of parental payment and allowances. Local regulatory requirements will apply in addition to the national rules. Local regulatory requirements must apply to both municipal and private nurseries. Proposal for changes to the rules on the calculation and allocation of operating subsidies to private nurseries: The Ministry proposes to continue that private nurseries are entitled to subsidies. The purpose of parental payment and operating subsidy must be that the children in the municipality receive an equal kindergarten subsidy of high quality. The municipality must issue a local regulation on the calculation of operating subsidies for private kindergartens. There must still be national rules on how the municipality must calculate the subsidy. Proposal for changes to the requirements for the use of public subsidies and parental payments: The Ministry proposes some new rules on the use of public subsidies and parental payments. Proposal for changes to the rules on supervision and reactions. Source: Ministry of Education’s consultation note. The municipality can decide the number of places – Thinking long-term and being able to plan for quality is completely awakened, says the nursery manager stated. There are three points in particular that Kjørven reacts to in the new proposals to the government. That the municipality should be able to decide how many kindergarten places they should have More local control over their funds More local control over the content of the kindergarten The reason the government wants changes to the Kindergarten Act is that there are fewer children in kindergartens than many years ago. Having several half-full kindergartens is expensive. In Småtjern nature nursery, the children are usually outside. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Therefore, among other things, they want to give the municipalities permission to reduce the number of places in kindergartens every ten years. The municipality must notify this two years before it happens. – There is always a risk that we cannot operate. For example, that the parents don’t want us, says Kjørven. Furthermore, he says that with the new changes, it is not just the parents who decide how many places a kindergarten should have, but also the municipality. – I can create a good nursery that parents want. Then the risk is up to me, and I have been willing to take it all along, he points out. The municipality must use discretion, say the amendments to the government. If a kindergarten is very popular, he will probably get the places they need. – The municipality is probably not going to take places away from me. But that will again have possible consequences for the nursery places in another nursery, adds Kjørven. Småtjern nature kindergarten has a large outdoor area where the children play. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news The children wait to feed the tame birds in the nursery. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Tame birds in the nature nursery. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news The children enjoy themselves in the toboggan run. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Småtjern nature kindergarten is hidden among idyllic Norwegian nature. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Several of the children went skiing. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Can’t think long term At Småtjern nature nursery they have started a new building. Here they will have a wardrobe, living room, toilet and a kitchen. If they don’t get a new toilet in place, they can’t operate as much anymore. But now the building plans are on hold. The funds were not enough. – I dare not say when it will be finished. I wish I had it now. When we have to have plumbers and electricians, it stops. We cannot afford that. For now, the building stands as an unfinished project. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news – The new proposals make it difficult to invest in quality improvements and upgrades, Kjørven believes. One of the government’s proposals is also the rules for the use of the funds to be decided locally and not nationally. It includes pension subsidy and property subsidy. Kjørven is skeptical about this, as the local regulations may change over time. – I fear that the subsidy scheme and the possibility of developing good kindergartens will be completely unpredictable. That we do not know exactly what we will get, and that it will therefore not be possible to think long-term. Jørgen Kjørven is afraid of having to close the nursery in the future. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Thus the building remains unfinished. – I have to put up my house and home as security to get a loan to upgrade. – If I don’t know how much we will get in subsidy next year, don’t know how many children we have, or how we will organize it, then I can’t take out a loan. – How lucrative is it to run a private nursery? – I have never taken out a collective wage, so it is not terribly lucrative. Only the shell of the building is finished. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news The municipality can decide on the offer The government now wants the municipalities to be able to decide on the offer and content in private kindergartens. They propose that the municipalities should be able to determine the minimum daily opening hours, the maximum number of weeks closed for holidays, and set conditions for the private nurseries. – The municipality can impose investments on us. It will make the variation more equal. Then there is no point in me running a nursery school. Then everyone can end up in the same kindergartens anyway, says Kjørven. The nursery manager’s concerns are not his alone. The consultation deadline is 1 February, and already close to 900 consultation responses have been received. Marius Iversen is concerned that the equal treatment we have today will disappear. Photo: Barbro Andersen / news – We are very concerned about the future of many of the private kindergartens that this affects, says Marius Iversen, director of communications and public relations at the National Association of Private Kindergartens (PBL). Iversen says that there were 106 fewer kindergartens in 2022 and that 99 of them were private. – Today it is the parents’ choices that govern the development of the sector. It is the kindergartens that the parents want that receive subsidies and that are allowed to develop further. – Nothing to worry about – The proposal from the government weakens the freedom of choice for parents, because the municipalities will be given the opportunity to remove places in private kindergartens that parents want their children in. They will remove the national system for economically equal treatment that we have today, says Iversen. Synnøve Mjeldheim Skaar (Ap), State Secretary in the Ministry of Knowledge, does not understand that concern. – We suggest that the municipality should adapt the subsidy better, adjust when the number of children falls sharply, and should be able to have initiatives beyond what is legally available for everyone. I don’t think that is a cause for concern. Synnøve Mjeldheim Skaar (Ap) is state secretary in the Ministry of Knowledge. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Småtjern nursery school’s desire for things to be predictable is something that the whole sector struggles with, because the birth rate is falling, says Skaar. – The whole sector faces that challenge, and it would be unreasonable to demand that municipal nurseries take on that challenge alone. She believes that the municipalities should be able to regulate the number of kindergarten places every ten years is a fairly moderate proposal. – Then the municipality must consider whether a nursery school has to close down if they remove ten places. – These regulations that we have submitted for consultation are precisely so that the municipality will be better able to take care of stand-alone and ideal nurseries. – We think that is a strange claim. There is nothing in this proposal that provides security for private nurseries. When the municipalities have to judge at their discretion what subsidy the kindergartens should receive, then it is a recipe for discrimination and uncertainty, says Iversen in PBL. Småtjern naturbarnehage has 21 nursery places for children between 1 and 5 years of age. Photo: Kristine Urke Johansen / news Back in Småtjern Nature Nursery, the future is uncertain. But Kjørven trusts that the municipality will not make it difficult for him if the proposal goes through. But he does not know how this will turn out. – That’s very sad. I think we will lose many of those who have started kindergarten for educational reasons. They are the ones who will suffer from this.
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The government will tighten up on private nurseries – Fearing the hook on the door
