The leader will introduce a fee when children do not show up for holiday care.

The last time there was a holiday, the principal of Vemb School in Western Jutland had enough.

On one of the days, 19 children were registered for childcare in the school’s after-school program, but the principal had ensured sufficient staffing for the task.

However, only three children showed up—roughly one-sixth of those registered.

Jeanett Thimmermann, the principal of Vemb School in Holstebro Municipality, has discussed with her board the possibility of introducing fees or deposits if children fail to attend as planned during holidays. She urges politicians to consider the option.

*"The amount would need to be significant enough before people start taking it seriously,"* says Jeanett Thimmermann.

Jeanett Thimmermann herself works in the private sector as a physiotherapist, hairdresser, and restaurant employee, where fees are sometimes charged if you don’t show up.

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**Principals always have too many staff on duty during holidays**

During the winter break, Jeanett Thimmermann could have saved two substitute teachers—one in the after-school program and one in the daycare, which she also leads. She estimates that she at least *"wastes"* one employee in every holiday period. These are wages that she believes could be used much more effectively.

*"I could have bought things for the children, taken them on trips, or organized events that all children would enjoy, instead of it being such a waste of resources,"* says Jeanett Thimmermann.

This issue is well-known in after-school programs, daycare centers, and nurseries across the country, explains Per Nikolaj Bukh, a professor of economic management at Aalborg University.

Parents often register their children for holiday childcare so far in advance that they don’t yet know whether they themselves can take time off. That’s why they sign up just to be safe. Some cancel later with short notice, while others forget entirely.

*"It works much better to offer some positive incentives,"* says Professor Per Nikolaj Bukh.

All else being equal: **The staff are called to work.**

*"It’s obvious that this is an entirely unnecessary waste of resources,"* says Professor Per Nikolaj Bukh.

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**Professor suggests rewarding parents instead**

From a societal economic perspective, it makes sense to better balance the number of children and staff during holiday childcare.

But charging a fee is neither a good solution nor possible within the legal framework, Per Nikolaj Bukh believes.

*"There are rules about what parents can be charged in terms of fees, and we don’t have the authority to impose fines at our discretion. It’s also very complicated to administer."*

Carrots are better than sticks, he explains.

*"We know from experience that it works much better to offer positive incentives—rewards for behaving appropriately."*

That’s why he suggests that municipalities find solutions to refund parents for the days or weeks they don’t use childcare, provided they cancel in sufficient time.

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**Parents’ organization rejects both sticks and carrots**

FOLA, the National Organization of Parents, flatly rejects the idea of fees.

*"We already pay for the service we receive. Instead, we should look at the conditions that make this such a big problem. It’s because there’s a general lack of resources,"* says chair Signe Nielsen.

She is also not in favor of the professor’s refund proposal. That would reward the most resourceful parents, she believes.

*"The children who are in holiday childcare the most might also be the ones who need something other than what’s at home. And then, the resourceful parents shouldn’t be rewarded just for being good at canceling holidays,"* says Signe Nielsen.

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**Committee chair won’t punish parents**

Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl (DD), chair of the Folketing’s Children and Education Committee, also flatly rejects the idea of fees for no-shows:

*"That would be completely unfair. Parents have already paid for the spot. And there’s no obligation to attend in a nursery or daycare—so to punish parents for having the option to keep their children home for a day—that’s simply not something I’d support,"* says Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl.

More positively, he views the proposal of refunding parents if they notify in advance about holiday days.

*"In principle, that could be a good solution. What concerns me is the bureaucracy it would require,"* says Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl.

If a non-bureaucratic solution can be found, the committee chair would see it favorably.

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**Principal won’t understaff**

Even though Jeanett Thimmermann, the principal of Vemb School, knows from bitter experience that a large portion of children usually don’t show up for childcare during holidays, she won’t risk understaffing.

*"Imagine if they all came. My staff would run around quickly, and that’s not something I’d want,"* says Jeanett Thimmermann.

Yesterday—on the second day of the winter break—17 out of 33 registered children attended the after-school program at Vemb School.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.