Fritidshem

Decided by the Education Committee 27.11.2019
Valid from March 2023

Each municipality shall offer education at leisure-time centres to students in the municipality's preschool classes, compulsory schools and special schools. Education at leisure-time centres shall be offered to the extant necessary, taking into consideration whether the child's parents/guardians are gainfully employed or studying, the child requires extra support in the form of a leisure-time centre, or it has its own need to attend due to the family's situation in some other respect.

Leisure-time centres supplement the education provided in preschool classes, compulsory schools and special schools. Leisure-time centres are to encourage children's development and learning and offer them meaningful leisure time.

Leisure-time centres are available for

• Students whose parents/guardians are gainfully employed or studying, or if the child has its own need to attend due to the family's situation in some other respect, Swedish Education Act, Chapter 14, section 5
• Student in need of special support, Swedish Education Act, Chapter 14, section 6
• Students up until the spring term of the year they turn 13, Swedish Education Act, Chapter 14, section 7
  
  

Application

Applications can be submitted to the Educations department via the e-service or on a form available at the front desk at Kommunhuset.

Children who has a placement in a municipal preschool and starts in a municipal school automatically gets a place at a leisure-time centre when the school start.

The application for a place at an independent leisure-time centre is submitted directly to the facility.

Offer of a place

Pupils requiring special support in their development are given priority when assigning places at leisure-time centres. Swedish Education Act, Chapter 14 section 6.

A place is offered at or as close as possible to the school where the child is attending. Swedish Education Act, Chapter 14, Section 10.

A parent/guardian whose child is offered a place must notify through the e-service or to the administrator within 10 days as to whether or not they require the place.

Attendance hours

Leisure-time centres are open between 06:30 am and 06:30 pm. If there is a need for childcare outside these normal opening hours (from 06:00 am), a written application has to be submitted to the Head of School.

How long the pupil attends on each occasion is determined based on the attendance schedule submitted by the parents/guardians through the e-service or to the administrator. Attendance hours concern the parents/guardians working hours or study hours, travel time and reasonable time for dropping off and collecting the child. This means that the pupil is not left at a leisure-time centre when the parents/guardians is not working or studying, unless the child has its own need to attend due to the family's situation in some other respect.

In the event of change in attendance hours, a new schedule is filled in and sent through the e-service or by filling in a form available at the front desk at Kommunhuset. Schedule changes should be submitted at least 10 days before the new schedule begins to apply. Temporary changes in the schedule are to be discussed with the staff at the leisure-time centre.

Parents/guardians on parental leave or who are jobseekers are offered to leave their child at a leisure-time centre on two scheduled afternoons per week but must collect them no later than 04:00 pm. The schedule for the place follows the school year, which means that pupils a free on the Skills development days.

On the Autumn-, Christmas-, Sports- and Easter Breaks the pupils have the opportunity to attend a leisure-time centre for 2 half-days or 1 full day.

Attendance during the Summer Break is agreed in consultation between the parents/guardians, teacher and Head of School based on the needs of the pupil.

During the Summer Break the child's leisure-time centre may close for four weeks. If this period does not coincide with the parents/guardians holiday, the child is offered a place at another leisure-time centre. This may also be the case during the Christmas Break.

In order to develop the skills of the teachers and improve the quality of the unit, the Head of School has the opportunity to close the leisure-time centre on four days per year. Information about the days when this will occur shall be provided to the parents/guardians at least two months in advance.

To the greatest extent possible, the parents/guardians is encouraged to arrange for childcare themselves on these days. As compensation, the parents/guardians are offered to leave their child on any other 4 additional days per year, after consulting with staff.

For those who cannot arrange their own childcare will be offered another alternative.

A child of a parent/guardian who is at home due to pregnancy, illness or illness of the child's sibling may attend as scheduled or when necessary. When the parent/guardian is ill on a ”day off” in the schedule and is unable to take care of the child at home, the child is permitted to attend during the hours required. If the parent/guardian is off sick more than 3 months, an agreement is made with the unit's Head of School regarding attendance hours.

Cancellation of a place

The period of notice for cancellation of a place is 1 month and notice is given through the e-service or in writing to the administrator at the Educations department.

When switching between leisure-time centres within Älmhult municipality no period of notice applies when there is no interruption in the placement.

Cancellation of the place for the period from June to August does not provide exemption from the obligation to pay for the childcare during that time if the child returns to the leisure-time centre during the autumn term of the same year.

Unless otherwise agreed, the placement at the preschool or other pedagogical activities ceases on 31 July of the year when the child starts in preschool class or compulsory school and the child is automatically allocated a place at a leisure-time centre.

Fees

A fixed monthly fee is charged for each child with a place at a leisure-time centre. An invoice is sent at the beginning of each month, 12 months of the year and must be paid by the last banking day of the month. The fee is charged as of the placement date and during the period of notice 1 month.

The fee is calculated in accordance with the maximum fee.

Information on the income of parents/guardians shall be submitted through the e-service or on a form available at the front desk at Kommunhuset when the child is offered a place at a leisure-time centre.

In the event of a change in the income of parents/guardians, this should be submitted through the e-service or on a form available at the front desk at Kommunhuset. The change in fee comes into effect as of the month when the change in income began to apply.

When the parents/guardians have shared custody and the child lives alternately at both parents/guardians and both need child care, each of them is to be charged based on their respective household income. Two fees are thus payable for one child, but the sum of these may not exceed the fee ceiling for one child.

When the child's parents/guardians lives with a person other than the biological parent of the child for whom the fee is to be determined, the incomes of both parties still form the basis for the fee.

A decision on expulsion from a place is made when the fee has not been paid despite a final demand being issued.