After-school care

The plan establishes that opportunities to be in after-school clubs mean a lot for all children to have a meaningful leisure time, and requires investments in leisure activities and more staff at school. A cap on children's group sizes and increased staff density are means for exactly that. The plan does not support existing regulations being sufficient.

• meaningful leisure time for all childrendecisive»Möjligheterna att vara på fritidshem betyder mycket« (party programme ↗)“Opportunities to be in after-school clubs mean a lot”
• investments in leisure activities»Det krävs satsningar inte bara på undervisning utan också på elevhälsa, specialpedagoger, fritidsverksamhet och socialt stöd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“There need to be investments not only in teaching but also in student health, special educators, leisure activities and social support.”
• more staff at school»Vänsterpartiet vill se fler lärare, tidigare insatser för barn som har det kämpigt och förbättrad tillgång till lärande genom hela livet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to see more teachers, earlier interventions for children who are struggling and improved access to learning throughout life.”
• jointly financed leisure time»Ge barn och ungdomar möjligheter till kommunalt stödda fritidsaktiviteter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give children and youth opportunities for municipality-supported leisure activities”

The election manifesto makes leisure activities one of the most important tools for giving children a better start and demands more resources for the most vulnerable services. Large child groups and too few staff hollow out precisely that function. The plan's explicit commitments on good conditions for staff and eventually on free services speak for investigating a statutory cap on group size and investing in increased staff density.

• leisure as a tool for childrendecisive»Förskola, skola och fritids är de bästa verktygen vi har för att lyfta barn ur dysfunktionella miljöer och ge dem en bättre framtid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Preschool, school and leisure are the best tools we have for lifting children out of dysfunctional environments and giving them a better future.”
• more resources to vulnerable services»De mest utsatta skolorna och förskolorna måste få mer resurser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The most vulnerable schools and preschools must receive more resources.”
• good conditions for staff»Goda villkor för anställda i förskola och skola.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for staff in preschool and school.”
• equal access to leisure»Avgiftsfri skola och högskola, långsiktigt även förskola och fritidshem.« (party programme ↗)“Free school and higher education, in the long term also free preschool and leisure facilities.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto promises to invest more in afterschool programs and to focus on smaller child groups and more staff, which is exactly what the counter-proposal wants to achieve with a ceiling on group size and increased staff density. The party programme adds that students today do not receive the support they need to do well and develop. A statutory ceiling is not mentioned explicitly, so this is a derived position.

• investment in afterschool programsdecisive»satsa mer på fritidshemmen och se till att även de barn vars föräldrar inte arbetar får tillgång till fritids« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest more in afterschool programs and ensure that also children whose parents do not work have access to afterschool care”
• smaller child groups»satsa på mindre barngrupper och mer personal i förskolan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest in smaller child groups and more staff in preschool”
• students receive insufficient support»inte det stöd de behöver för att må bra och utvecklas utifrån sina förutsättningar« (party programme ↗)“not the support they need to do well and develop based on their conditions”
• school should not be a market»plats för framtidstro, för alla barn. Miljöpartiet vill avskaffa vinstdrivande aktiebolag inom« (party programme ↗)“space for hope for the future, for all children. The Green Party wants to abolish profit-driven companies in the form of”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme states that legislation and regulations must provide great freedom to solve the school's task locally and that the party consistently works for decentralization. A statutory ceiling on the size of child groups is precisely the kind of state detailed regulation. The party certainly wants to make leisure activities accessible to everyone and preserve small units in rural areas, but that argues for local adaptation rather than binding ceilings. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal.

• local freedom in schooldecisive»Alla barn har rätt till en bra utbildning oavsett var de bor. Lagstiftning och regelverk måste erbjuda stor frihet« (party programme ↗)“All children have the right to a good education regardless of where they live. Legislation and regulations must provide great freedom”
• consistent decentralization»inom alla områden och på alla nivåer, att verka för decentralisering av beslut« (party programme ↗)“in all areas and at all levels, to work for decentralization of decisions”
• accessible leisure activities»Vi vill göra förskola och fritidsverksamhet tillgänglig för alla« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to make preschool and leisure activities accessible to everyone”
• small units in rural areas»Det fria skolvalet ska värnas och små skolor och förskolor på landsbygden ges förutsättningar att fortsätta sin verksamhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Free school choice must be protected and small schools and preschools in rural areas given the conditions to continue their activities.”

The plan does not address after-school centre group size directly, but demands increased opportunities to participate in smaller groups and that after-school centres should to a greater extent support school work. To investigate a cap on children's groups and invest in staff density is in line with that and with the requirement for an equitable school. The conclusion is inferred and uncertain.

• smaller groupsdecisive»Det behövs ökade möjligheter att gå i mindre grupper, så att elever med större behov av stöd« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for increased opportunities to participate in smaller groups, so that students with greater need for support”
• after-school centres' school mission»fritidshemmen ska i ökad utsträckning stödja skolarbetet.« (party programme ↗)“after-school centres should to a greater extent support school work.”
• more staff around students»För att göra det möjligt skjuter vi till pengar för minst 1 000 fler speciallärare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To make this possible we are putting money toward at least 1,000 more specialist teachers.”
• equitable school»Skolan ska vara likvärdig.« (party programme ↗)“School should be equitable.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan stipulates that group sizes shall not be larger than that each child can have their needs met, and requires even and high quality in the form of small child groups and staff with both pedagogical and care competence. Children's needs and conditions vary and activities shall meet the individual child. Investigating a ceiling for children's group size in after-school care and increasing staff density follows from these commitments.

• limited group sizedecisive»Gruppstorlekarna får inte vara större än att« (party programme ↗)“Group sizes shall not be larger than that”
• small child groups and high quality»ska präglas av valfrihet, jämn och hög kvalitet i form av små« (party programme ↗)“shall be characterized by choice, even and high quality in the form of small”
• children's different needs»Barn har olika behov och förutsättningar.« (party programme ↗)“Children have different needs and conditions.”
• secure upbringing environment»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a secure upbringing environment.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan is based on decisions being made at the lowest effective level and the state's task in schools primarily being to establish and follow up knowledge requirements and close operations that fail, not to regulate staffing in detail. A statutory cap on the size of child groups in after-school centres is precisely such central detailed regulation. The issue is not addressed in the documents, which is why the position is derived and the uncertainty is large.

• decisions at lowest effective leveldecisive»Det politiska systemet ska bygga på att beslut fattas på lägsta« (party programme ↗)“The political system shall be based on decisions being made at the lowest”
• the state's task is knowledge requirements»Staten har en avgörande uppgift att först och främst fast« (party programme ↗)“The state has a decisive task to first and foremost establish”
• quality requirements over detailed rules»• Se till att skolor som drivs i företagsform lever upp till högt ställda kvalitetskriterier för att få göra vinstutdelning samt dra in tillståndet för skolor som allvarligt brister« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that schools operated as businesses meet high quality criteria in order to make profit distributions and withdraw the license for schools that seriously fail”
• close failing operations»Moderaterna har nolltolerans mot dåliga skolor. Staten ska kunna ta över eller stänga skolor som inte är tillräckligt bra.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Moderates have zero tolerance for poor schools. The state must be able to take over or close schools that are not good enough.”

The plan explicitly requires a maximum ratio of children per adult in childcare and identifies large groups of children and too few staff as one of its most serious problems. The counter-proposal's demands for a statutory ceiling on group size in after-school care and increased staff density directly address this commitment. The plan also wants the facilities to be designed for the right number of children and for staff working conditions to be improved.

• maximum ratio for child groupsdecisive»Upprätta en maxgräns för antalet barn per vuxen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish a maximum ratio of children per adult”
• large groups of children»Svensk barnomsorg dras med kraftiga problem såsom för stora barngrupper, utbränd personal, brister i svenska språket och allt mer åtstramade ekonomiska möjligheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish childcare is plagued by serious problems such as large groups of children, burnt-out staff, shortcomings in Swedish language and increasingly constrained financial resources.”
• adapted facilities»Det är även av stor vikt att lokaler och utemiljöer är utformade för rätt antal barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is also of great importance that facilities and outdoor environments are designed for the right number of children.”
• better working and activity environment»Förbättra personalens arbetsmiljö och barnens vistelsemiljö« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve staff working conditions and children's environment”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.