The childcare plan approved by the Flemish government on Friday is deemed insufficient by the Marxist opposition party PVDA.
The party demands a further reduction in the number of children per caregiver and improved wage and working conditions.
Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) announced funding for 10,000 additional places. PVDA MP Lise Vandecasteele stated, “For new places, you need staff, and that requires better wages and less workload. This plan offers no progress in these areas.”
PVDA also criticised that not all new places are income-related, meaning parents pay according to their income. The government has allocated 6,000 such places, alongside 4,000 places where the provider sets their own prices.
