Tell us: Are you satisfied with the quality and availability of childcare in Czechia?

Access to childcare facilities has long been a problem in the Czech Republic.

Czechia ranks lowest in the European Union when it comes to the share of children receiving at least one hour of formal childcare per week, suggests new Eurostat data. 

Together with Slovakia, the Czech Republic has the lowest share of children receiving formal childcare at 4.8 percent. Among other countries on the end of the scale are Romania (6.8%), Hungary (10.5%), and Poland (11.2%). 

Meanwhile, the EU average is almost 7 times higher than that of Czechia: almost one-third of children (32.3%) in the EU were enrolled in formal childcare for at least one hour per week.

To put that into perspective, only one in twenty children in Czechia receives at least one hour of formal childcare per week.

Among the EU Member States, Denmark recorded the highest share of children receiving at least one hour of formal childcare per week with two-thirds (67.7%), followed by the Netherlands (67.6%), Luxembourg (63.2%), and France (57.2%).

Meanwhile, parent childcare is peaking in the Czech Republic. Over 66.3% share of children aged less than three are cared for only by their parents. Among other countries with the highest index of parent childcare are Lithuania (69.5%), Bulgaria (71.8%), and Germany (80.2%). 

The trend in high inaccessibility of childcare facilities in the Czech Republic forces women to assume the bulk of private domestic responsibilities and often balance it with work. 

While the country has had one of the lowest childcare accessibility rates in the EU, the government announced plans to reintroduce nurseries, which will replace the current children's groups, as of September 2024.

While the numbers do not paint a rosy picture of the situation with childcare facilities in the country, we would like to know more about your experience!