Numbers rise sharply – Austria: already one in four children is poor!

The numbers are staggering and growing every day. Of the 243,000 children aged 0-4 who reside in a care facility in Austria, 69,000 are already affected by poverty. So more than every 4th child! Current price increases are not even included in these figures. For many families, the major financial challenges of electricity and gas bills only surface in the fall and winter. But that poverty is more than a lack of money is apparent from the latest survey of 500 kindergarten teachers, which was presented Monday morning by Volkshilfe and Kinderfreunde.

Price increases also more noticeable in kindergarten
The results show that growing up in poverty becomes an increasing problem from early childhood onwards. Even the smallest of the little ones have a harder time getting started in life. The fatal thing about it: According to Judith Ranftler of Volkshilfe, the damage can no longer be recovered. Poor children have fewer friendships and fewer social contacts from the start, have a shorter education and also have more difficult health problems. The largest expenses are the costs of the kindergarten and the excursion costs. Although the childcare places in the municipal kindergartens are free and therefore less of a problem, the food contribution is also a high stress factor for many.

According to Volkshilfe, basic child safety would be a lever to end or largely alleviate child poverty. A family benefit classified by income, which would provide more financial support than before to children affected by poverty. 625 euros per child and month. The costs for this basic security would be estimated at 700 million euros per year.