The opening event of the Pillar project titled “Targeted Support for the Labor Market Reintegration of Parents with Young Children” was held in Budapest on October 17, 2024. The program, implemented with the support of the Human Resource Development Operational Programme Plus, contributes to reducing the financial burden on families with young children by covering the costs of care and increasing the employment of those raising young children.
The operations of strategic importance (OSI) of the 2021-27 programming period, commonly known as Pillars, aim to provide greater visibility for EU funds by widely showcasing the achieved results to the public. Each operational program has pillars; one of the designated pillars of the Human Resource Development Operational Programme Plus (HRDOP Plus) is “Improving access to quality and affordable early childhood education and care.” To achieve the related goals, the project titled “Targeted support for the labor market reintegration of parents raising young children” also contributes.
The project is being implemented by the Hungarian State Treasury with HUF 5.5 billion of non-repayable EU and domestic funding. In the project – as a continuation of the successful EDIOP-5.3.11-18 project that concluded in 2023 – from September 2024, parents raising young children can once again apply for non-refundable support to place their children in nursery care or daytime childcare during their working hours to facilitate their return to the labor market. In the history of the support, this is the first time that parents who place their children in municipal nurseries can also apply for it, and those whose children are in mini-nurseries, family nurseries, workplace nurseries, or daytime childcare will continue to be eligible for the support. The support is available throughout the country, except in Budapest.
Compared to 2010, the number of crèche places has more than doubled to 67,000, with 5,000 of these created in the past year. Today, some form of nursery care is available in nearly 1200 settlements and every district in Hungary, which is three and a half times the number in 2010, and developments continue. The currently running Pillér project contributes to reducing the financial burden on families with young children by covering the costs of nursery care and daytime childcare services, and as a result, by facilitating access to these services, it increases the employment of those raising young children. Thus, the nursery support system not only serves the interests of the children raised in the institutions due to the quality pedagogical work but also benefits the parents, as they can return to the labor market sooner. The Human Resource Development Operational Programme Plus places special emphasis on targeted support for those in need, disadvantaged individuals, families, and labor market integration.
