Fees during the coronavirus pandemic City and state to reimburse some day care and school fees
Bonn · The main committee of the city council decided on Thursday evening to refund half of the contributions for Kita, day care and all-day schools. Families are to receive money back for the months of May and June.
Now it's official: All parents whose children have a place in daycare or all-day schools are to be reimbursed for their parental contributions for May and June. The main committee of the city council met on Thursday evening, forgoing a larger city council meeting due to the coronavirus pandemic. They decided that the city of Bonn should reimburse parents 50 percent of the fees.
The other half is to be covered by the state of NRW, according to a resolution passed by the Budget and Finance Committee of the Düsseldorf state parliament on Thursday. In total, it means the Ministry for Children, Family, Refugees and Integration (MKFFI) is to provide a total of 64 million euros statewide to reimburse half of the parents' contributions in Kitas and day care centers. According to the press office, the NRW Ministry for Schools and Education will allocate a total of 22 million euros for the reimbursement of parental contributions for all-day childcare and for other all-day schools and childcare services serving both primary and secondary education.
One million euros in lost revenue per month
For the city of Bonn, the loss of revenue under this arrangement amounts to one million euros per month. As reported, schools and daycare centers have been offering only emergency childcare or limited regular services for months. Due to the high incidence rates in Bonn, parents have been required to care for their children at home, if possible, to protect against the spread of infection.
"We want to waive half of the contributions for parents in total for this period due to the restrictions in the first half of 2021. This means that after the fee-free month of January, the months of May and June will also be exempt from contributions," Family Minister Joachim Stamp told GA. In addition, there will be talks with the municipal associations on how the burden can be shared between the state and the municipalities as a whole.
