Concerned Ghent parents submit 2,000 signatures seeking council hearing on after-school care reforms

A group of parents in Ghent has handed over 2,000 signatures in a bid to speak before the city council about reforms to after-school care. The campaigners say the new fees are too high and question whether the service remains good enough.

They collected the signatures over two months and also criticize staff shortages. The parents say savings were already visible before the school holidays. At one school, parents had to help fill gaps, while teachers sometimes took over. During the holidays, they said, temporary workers and student employees often had no experience working with children.

The campaigners are particularly opposed to ending the family discount for after-school care. They say the change could cost some families hundreds of euros more each year. Trade unions and civil society groups, including Iedere Stemt Telt, Collecti.e.f 8 Maars and Furia, support the action.

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The savings were already noticeable before the holidays. At my children’s school, parents were asked to step in, or the teachers had to do it themselves. During the holidays, the care service worked with temporary staff and student employees who often had no experience with children.

Ghent raised after-school care fees as part of its own savings plans, although the city consistently describes the increase as an indexation measure. The Flemish BOA reforms are also being introduced this school year. They give cities and municipalities responsibility for coordinating care across education networks and aim to expand the activities available, including music school and sports lessons. Ghent has warned that Flemish funding has not kept pace with those expectations.

The city will now check the signatures. If at least 1,000 are valid, the parents will receive speaking time and can address the mayor, aldermen and council members. Alderman Evita Willaert of Groen said she would wait for the procedure before responding and would debate the issue in the council. Campaign organizer Nele Nachtergaele, who previously appeared on the PVDA electoral list, said she was acting as a citizen and concerned mother: “This action has broad support, and my past is separate from it.”

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This action has broad support, and my past is separate from it.