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Copenhagen to invest in growing children population

Christian Wenande
March 28th, 2019


This article is more than 5 years old.

Danish capital eyeing more daycare and kindergarten options

Copenhagen looking out for its little ones (photo: Christian Wenande)

Copenhagen is growing with about 10,000 people every year, and that is putting pressure on daycare institutions, kindergartens and schools in the capital.

Yesterday, the politicians at City Hall signed a budget agreement for 2019 that will see 84.4 million kroner set aside for new daycare institutions and 42.4 million kroner for the planning and launching of additional child-related institutions.

“I’m happy that a very broad group of parties once again stood together to solve the challenges faced by a Copenhagen in riveting growth. Now we have ensured that all the children can be seen to and we have decent offers for the city’s vulnerable,” said the city mayor, Frank Jensen.

The agreement also earmarks 19.2 million kroner for special education and 39.2 million kroner to boost efforts pertaining to children with special needs and diagnoses.

Jensen’s mention of the vulnerable of Copenhagen is related to an additional 17 million kroner being dedicated to shelters and crisis centres for victims of violence.

READ MORE: Copenhagen to get new district on massive artificial island

Best of the rest
Another package agreed upon involves improving the areas designated as ‘hardcore ghettos’ on the government’s ‘Ghetto List’ and preventing news areas from being designated as such.

To this end, 26.4 million kroner has been set aside to increase safety and security and curb the negative social heritage in nine vulnerable neighbourhoods, including Mjølnerparken and Tingbjerg.

Other funds are going to tackle the issue regarding the lacking number of GPs in the city, summer camps for children in vulnerable districts, and a project for more environmentally-friendly cruise ships in Nordhavn through the establishment of power sources on land at Langelinie.

Finally, funds have been set aside for the required reports concerning future visions and plans, including the new Lynetteholm artificial island and more parking spaces for business owners.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”