(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
SV is known for to be a kindergarten party. A good quality daycare for those who wish it has been one of SV's core issues for a long time. In the opposition, we managed to get the whole parliament with us on a kindergarten settlement which significantly reduced the kindergarten payment. The price was reduced from about NOK. 3700 to kr. 2700. Our wish was for the price to be lowered further, but was actively countered by the government parties at the time, namely the Right, the KrF and the Left.
We are happy that the electorate gave us a mandate to form government. In the government, we ourselves have the opportunity to realize a significant part of our policy instead of being a corrective or premise provider to others. We have now used this position to fulfill one of our most important choice promises: cheap and high-quality day care facilities. The kindergarten price has now been reduced by NOK. 500 per month per child. This means that each family will save NOK. 6000 per year in kindergarten expenses. If you have two children it suddenly means kr. It could mean a southern trip, a couple of weeks of leave from work to be with the children, or sending the children to the grandmother in the United States for a couple of weeks.
Cheap, accessible and good kindergarten places are socially equal. This strengthens the families' finances both by lowering the family's expenses, but also by allowing parents to get out of work.
Not least, reduced price and available kindergarten places are an important element of integration policy. This will strengthen the ability of minority children to get out into the community early, learn the language, gain knowledge of common social codes, and make new friends from the majority community at an early age.
SV is now working for the price to be further reduced – to NOK 1750, that full kindergarten coverage should be completed as soon as possible and that the quality of our kindergartens should be top notch. Families with children should notice the difference between a bourgeois government and a government in which SV has a prominent role.
Akhtar Chaudhry, city council representative in Oslo for SV.
