Municipal provision of nursery schools and other socio-educational services for infants

Istat has published the main results of a rapid survey of expenditure and users of socio-educational services for infants.

The aim is to provide an updated and complete picture of the provision by Italian local authorities of nursery schools and other socio-educational services aimed at the population in the zero to two age bracket (up to the age of 36 months).

In the school year 2008/2009, 176,262 children aged zero to two years were enrolled at municipally owned or financed nursery schools. Local expenditure in 2008 after deducting fees paid by families was about 1,118 million euro.

Between 2004 and 2008 the number of nursery users increased by about 30,000 units, of which 11,000 between 2007 and 2008. In the five years under investigation, net current expenditure after user fees on nurseries registered an overall increase of 31.5%, whereas child enrolments rose 20.6%.