Preschool and Parental Leave

The preschool stage, its interaction with parental leave, and other childcare solutions are some of the most pressing issues of our time. Bridging the gap between parental leave and preschool is absolutely crucial to ensure the best opportunities and quality of life for children and parents. Steps have been taken to extend parental leave, this journey must continue, but the entire educational system must also be viewed in this context. This is also a societal project, the interplay between the labour market and parental leave needs to become more flexible, and parents' opportunities for part-time work should be increased. It is also clear that the staffing issues in preschools need to be addressed. Working conditions need to be improved and the workload reduced. All of this must be reviewed with the welfare of children as a guiding principle, the working day for our children must not become too long. The preschool can also be a key support in increasing inclusion in Icelandic society. By ensuring children with a foreign cultural and language background have equal access to preschool as Icelandic children, significant steps can be taken in Icelandic language education.

• Framsókn intends to bridge the gap between parental leave and preschool.

• Framsókn wants parental leave to be extended to 18 months.

• Framsókn believes that parental leave should be equally distributed between the child's parents.

• Framsókn wants the minimum amount of parental leave payments to be determined in line with the minimum cost of living.

• Framsókn believes that support for students who have children during their studies or at the end of them needs to be improved.

• Framsókn wants greater flexibility on the part of the labour market to be able to take parental leave partially while working.

• Framsókn wants full salary to be paid to parents on parental leave and concurrently, the maximum amount to be reassessed and the minimum amount determined in line with the minimum cost of living.

• Framsókn wants to reassess the rules that apply to parental leave for parents of multiples.

• Framsókn wants to explore the possibility of transferring part of the parental leave to close family members. Special attention must then be given to single parents.

• Framsókn wants to explore the possibility of compulsory schooling from the age of 4 in preschool following its legislative recognition as the first stage of schooling.

• Framsókn wants to legislate for municipalities to set rules on sibling priority in preschool admissions.

• Framsókn believes that the working conditions of preschool staff need to be improved and the workload reduced.

• Framsókn considers it important to improve the educational and play resources of preschools to ease the burden and facilitate professional work.