SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

FAMILY

‘Better and cheaper’: What foreigners really think about childcare in Austria

We asked readers of The Local to share their experiences of childcare in Austria. While the majority approve of the service, there is also room for improvement.

'Better and cheaper': What foreigners really think about childcare in Austria
Readers of The Local said childcare in Austria is mostly "good", but there is some room for improvement. (Photo by Kelli McClintock / Unsplash)

Austria is well-known for having affordable childcare – especially when compared with other countries like the US and the UK.

But is it really all it’s hyped up to be? 

We asked readers of The Local to find out, and this is what they said.

FOR MEMBERS: How does the cost of childcare in Austria compare to other countries?

‘Much better and cheaper than the US’

The majority of readers surveyed (50 percent) described childcare in Austria as “good”. This was followed by “very good” at 25 percent.

However, most of the people that say the service in Austria is good or very good come from countries where it’s expensive back home, or difficult to access.

For example, one respondent in Vienna who asked to remain anonymous said childcare in Austria is “much better and cheaper than the US”.

Similarly, Marie in Klosterneuburg, but from the US, described it as “amazing”.

Fabiana Thome from Brazil said: “I didn’t have a child back in my home country, but I have the impression that in Austria childcare is better and more affordable.”

Manuela Schnetzinger, also from from Brazil, said: “In Brazil you need to spend a ton of money. Here, I think it is good.”

READ MORE: Living in Austria: Is Vienna a family-friendly city?

And Shyam from India described childcare in Austria as “very good”, before adding: “My country doesn’t have any support for childcare.”

By comparison, 20 percent of respondents said childcare in Austria was “good, but could do better”. And five percent described it as “terrible”.

A British person in Vienna said: “The children in Austria don’t do any activities to prepare them for school. In the UK, most children can hold a pencil at 4 years old! Also kindergartens don’t work on their social skills – so many issues later in school.”

Likewise, another respondent in Vienna said: “I come from the US, where childcare for young kids is more normalised and professionalised.”

‘Grandparents as caretakers’

When asked how childcare in Austria could be improved, several respondents said services should be expanded to allow more parents to return to work. 

This was of particular importance for those located outside of Vienna (where government subsidised childcare is available for all children up to the age of six).

Manuela Schnetzinger in Wels, Upper Austria, said the childcare offer could be improved by “taking children under one year old.”

A respondent in Mödling, Lower Austria, said: “More places, longer hours from a younger age.”

And another respondent in Vienna said: “More availability of public facilities for younger kids to facilitate women working.”

READ NEXT: Where to find English-language books in Austria

Others also remarked on cultural differences in Austria about when women return to work on a full-time basis, and the expectation that grandparents will become childcare providers.

Klosterneuburg-based Marie from the US said: “It would be great if mothers would go back to work after a year. Honestly, watching kids get picked up at 3pm for the first 6 years is painful for those of us who return back to work.”

Valéria Queiroz from Brazil commented: “Many families have huge difficulties in finding a place for their children. It is still a country that lays a lot on grandparents as caretakers for parents to be able to work, and this is simply not an option for many families who live here.”

Whereas Ricardo from Portugal, who lives in Styria, said childcare could be improved by: “Preparing the kids for school. Compared to the UK, the Austrian childcare system is years behind.”

For others, like Robert Nyström from Sweden, language was an issue that could be improved.

Robert, who is based in Vienna, said: “Better explanation about the system in English. It is very hard to find good information that explains how everything works.”

But Rob Barratt from the UK simply said: “Pay childcare providers more salary.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

EUROPEAN UNION

COMPARE: Where in Europe now has the lowest birth rate?

The number of births in Europe have dropped dramatically in recent years, new statistics reveal. But which countries have seen the biggest drop in the birthrate?

COMPARE: Where in Europe now has the lowest birth rate?

Births in Europe have reached their lowest point since the 1960s in 2022, as only 3.88 million babies were born compared to more double some sixty years ago, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.

In the period 1961–2022, all countries (EU member states as well as EFTA countries Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) saw steady declining birth rates.

The highest level recorded was 6.8 million in 1964. By 2002, births had declined to 4.36 million, followed by a modest increase to 4.68 million in 2008, and a general downward trend after that year (except for 2021, during the pandemic).

Highest birth rates in France

On average, the total birth rate, the average number of children born per the lifetime of each woman, was 1.46 live births in 2022.

Among the European countries covered (see image below), France had the highest, at 1.79, even though the national statistics bureau reported in January that births in France fell in 2023 to their lowest annual number since World War II, with an average birth rate of 1.68 children for each woman.

Romania (1.71) and Bulgaria (1.65) followed. The lowest fertility rates in 2022 were recorded in Malta (1.08), Spain (1.16) and Italy (1.24).

Other countries were somewhat in between, with Sweden reporting a fertility rate of 1.53, Austria 1.55, Germany 1.46, Switzerland 1.39. In comparison, Italy’s fertility rate in 1960 was 2.4, Denmark’s 2.57, and Austria’s 2.69 (this value is not available for all countries).

The UK’s birth rate decreased to 1.49 children per woman in 2022 down from 1.55 in 2021.

Image: Eurostat.

A fertility rate of around 2.1 live births per woman is considered to keep the population size constant in developed countries without migration.

In recent years, the EU population has decreased after decades of growth, mostly due to the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The current European Commission launched in 2021 a debate on Europe’s ageing society, suggesting steps for higher labour market participation, including more equality between women and men and longer working lives.

In countries such as Italy, there have been calls to increase financial support for those with young children, or measures addressing chronic problems which discourage or prevent Italians from starting a family at all.

But in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to revive sluggish birth rate sparked an outcry, with feminists and left-wing politicians accusing him of seeking to control women’s bodies.

Having children later in life

Across Europe, it appears that many women are opting to have their first child at a later age than in the past, meaning that the possibility of other children is reduced.

The average age of women having their first child was in the EU in 2022 was 29.7 years (compared to 28.8 in 2013), ranging from 26.6 in Bulgaria and 27 in Romania, to 31.7 in Italy and 31.6 in Spain.

Eurostat notes that while the fertility rates for women below 30 years have declined since 2001, those for women aged 30 and above have risen. In 2001, the fertility rate for women aged 25-29 years was the highest among all age groups. In 2022, it was for 30–34-year-olds. The fertility rate for women aged 35 years and over is also increasing.

Foreign-born mothers

Eurostat also records that some 22 per cent of children in 2022 were born from foreign-born mothers, with most EU countries becoming increasingly diverse compared to 2013.

The highest proportion was 66 per cent in Luxembourg followed by 41 per cent in Cyprus. In Austria, Belgium and Malta, around one-third of children were born to foreign-born mothers. On the other hand, The lowest proportion was 2 per cent in Slovakia and Bulgaria.

This article was published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

SHOW COMMENTS