In 2013/14 there were 8 445 institutional childcare facilities (excluding seasonal childcare
centres) in Austria, 4 692 of them kindergartens,
The average childcare centre is closed for 24.4 (operating) days per year; most days of closure are during the summer holidays (average: 13.9 days). Throughout Austria, institutional day nurseries on average are closed for five (operating) days in the Christmas holidays, for three days in the Easter holidays and for two days during the semester break. Toddlers’ crèches (15.1) and mixed-age establishments (14.2) are closed for the fewest days per year. Kindergartens are closed for an average of 29.4 days, after-school care clubs for 26.2 days. Vienna childcare centres are closed for less than four days per year, whereas in the western part of Austria, closures for more than 37 days (Tyrol 37.5 and Vorarlberg 47.4) are usual.
With respect to opening hours it can be seen that on average nine in ten toddlers’ crèches and kindergartens provide institution-based child care before 7.30 am. In Vienna seven in ten of these facilities open before 7 am even. Over half of all toddlers’ crèches and eight in ten after-school care clubs are open until at least 5 pm. Almost a quarter of kindergartens close before 2 pm, while a third of them remain open until at least 5 pm. Four in ten childcare centres provide ten or more hours of institution-based child care. Only one childcare centre in ten is open for an average of less than six hours per day. Vienna offers the longest opening hours for all types of institution-based childcare; 93.6% are open for ten hours or more, while only 1% is open for less than six hours.
Toddlers’ crèches and after-school care clubs are primarily attended by children of working parents. The proportion of children in after-school care clubs with working mothers is 76.8%, while the corresponding figure for children in toddlers’ crèches is 70.8% and almost 61.4% for kindergarten children. Compared with the resident population of the same age, it can be seen that 90.5% of the 3-to 5-year-olds who have a working mother are looked after in kindergartens. For 0- to 2 –year-olds the ratio is 45.8%.
In terms of the development of institution-based childcare ratios for 3, 4 and 5 year-old children (the number of children looked after in childcare centres as a proportion of the total resident population of the same age) over the last ten years, significant increases could be observed in all three age categories. The institution-based childcare ratio for 3-year-olds rose from 63.8% in 1998 to 82.5%. An increase from 88.5% to 94.2% over the last ten years was recorded for 4-year-olds, while the corresponding figure for 5-year-olds increased from 92.5% to 95.8%.
Please consult our German website for tables and charts containing further information.