Pledge 45 – Malmo

On 16 September 2020, Malmo signed a pledge to principle 11 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, reaffirming its commitment to childcare and support to children.

Malmo pledged to:

• Invest yearly over 281 million EUR from the municipal budget into preschools to ensure all children aged 3-5 have access to inclusive early childhood education and care
• Invest yearly over 1.6 million EUR into 9 open preschools to give extra support to children from migrant background
• Set up a new family centre, in addition to the 6 already existing, where all people, especially those with migrant background can freely access integrated services for childcare and preschool, health and social counselling, pedagogical support and language learning for children and parents, all under the same roof as a ‘one-stop-shop’.
• Build capacity of the family centres to respond to the increasing demand and needs from families seeking support for a better integration through language learning and mentoring support

Malmo’s Deputy Mayor for social affairs and integration, Sedat Arif, said: “‘A strong social Europe should start with children. Children should have good living standards and a natural place in our cities. Malmo is working to guarantee the right to childcare and support for all children”.