The cost of raising children is currently rising at a similar rate to inflation. The prices of pre-school education, primary education, childcare and children’s clothing and footwear are rising at a similar rate to industrial goods. Thus, parents are particularly hard hit by current inflation, according to experts from the Polish Economic Institute (PIE).

Parents sending their children to nurseries and kindergartens have been hit hardest by the price changes. This is where childcare became 16.1 % more expensive last year. Significant increases have been happening for several years. The last time a price increase was less than 3 % was in 2017. According to PIE, the situation has been further complicated by the pandemic – since the outbreak of the pandemic, care fees have been rising rapidly. In 2020, it was 11.2 %.

PIE has also seen a significant increase in the price of pre-school and primary education. Rising inflation has taken its toll on the cost of education for the youngest. In 2022, prices rose by 9.4 %. The change in payments for pre-school currently reflects the increase in inflation by around 66 %. Until 2019, there was no such correlation – these prices developed independently and usually rose much more slowly than the overall CPI. Large increases in the price of services imply a deterioration in their availability. It is worth remembering that wider pre-school childcare is cited as a recipe for increasing fertility rates and female labour force participation.

Inflation is being followed by clothing and footwear shops, which are raising the prices of their products. In 2022, children’s clothing became 7.1 % more expensive. Last year is also the first time in recent years that children’s clothing has become more expensive (previously, children’s clothing had become cheaper). You also must pay more for footwear for babies and children (a year ago, prices increased by 5.9 per cent). The change in footwear prices significantly mirrors the rate of price change in the economy as a whole and corresponds to 74 %.

Adrian Andrzejewski