680,000 children benefit from Polish government support scheme

Poland's government says 680,000 children have benefited from a scheme that gives financial support to parents of under-threes.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Aleksandra Gajewska at an event in Warsaw marking two years since the launch of the "Active Parent" programme.

Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

The "Active Parent" programme, launched on 1 October 2024 and popularly known in Poland as "babciowe" (the grandmother benefit), provides financial support to parents of children under three so they can combine work with raising a child.

It has three forms of monthly support: PLN 1,500 (EUR 340) for parents who are in work, up to the same amount towards nursery costs, and PLN 500 (EUR 115) for those who care for their child at home.

Tusk and Deputy Family Minister Aleksandra Gajewska attended an event on Friday marking the scheme's second anniversary.

According to Gajewska, more than PLN 11 billion (EUR 2.5 billion) have been spent on payments so far.

Tusk said the scheme was not only about money and new nursery places, but also "about dignity."

He added it was an attempt "to honour the hundreds of thousands of grandparents" who help look after young children, adding that he considered himself part of that community.

💬 Premier @donaldtusk ⤵️

Bardzo mi zależało na projekcie Aktywny Rodzic. Kiedy mówiliśmy o Babciowym, nie chodziło tylko o nowe miejsca w żłobkach, ale też o godnościowe podejście do sprawy.#Babciowe pic.twitter.com/ulVHygoFF5

— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) October 2, 2026

Gajewska said the figures represented families who had been able to return to work without having to choose between their child and their job.

(ał)

Source: PAP