Public offer of nurseries and other socio-educational services for children

Children between zero and two years enrolled in nurseries run by municipalities are 149,647 in the 2012/2013 school year; other 43,513 children benefit from contributions from the municipalities for private nurseries. Then the total number of children who benefit from the public offering amounts to 193,160.

In 2012, the expenditure committed by municipalities for financing nurseries is about 1 billion and 567 million euro. 19% of this expenditure is accounted for by the fees paid by families, thus the expenditure paid by municipalities is about 1 billion and 263 million euro.

Between 2004 and 2012 current expenditure for nurseries had an overall increase of 49%, net of fees paid by users. During the same period increased by 32% (more than 47 thousand units), the number of children enrolled in public nurseries or in private nurseries financed by the municipalities.

In 2011, for the first time since 2004, there is a decrease in the number of children beneficiaries of the municipal offer of nurseries (-0.04% in 2011); the decrease is confirmed in 2012 (-4.2%).

In 2012/2013 enrollments for the municipal nurseries are declining (about 5,700 users in less than the previous year) and, to a lesser extent, also the contributions paid by municipalities for private nurseries are declining (about 2,600 users in less).

The percentage of municipalities offering the service of kindergarten, both in the form of structures and of contributions for the use of private services, increased from 32.8% to 52.7% during the period 2003/2004 – 2012/2013 .

Regional differences are very strong: the children attending public nurseries or structures financed by the municipalities ranging from 3.5% of residents aged between 0 and 2 years in the South to 17.3% in the Center. The percentage of municipalities that guarantee the presence of the service varies from 22.7% in the South all’81.9% in the North-east.

In the school year 2012/2013 children attending supplementary services for early childhood offered by municipalities amount to 1.1% of residents between zero and two years (about 20 thousand). This share is decreasing over the last three years of observation.

Considering both nurseries and supplementary services, the percentage of children aged 0-2 (until their third birthday) who benefit from childcare services run or financed by municipalities is 13.0%.

Note. On August 6, 2015 around 5 p.m., the “Full text” in download has been replaced  due to data revision as a result of the extension of the survey.