School costs force mother to cut children’s Christmas budget

Extra costs linked to Denmark’s free public schools are putting pressure on low-income families, forcing one mother to cut her children’s Christmas present budget, DR reports. A new Epinion survey for Egmont found that 54 per cent of the poorest parents feel financially strained by school-related expenses.

Katja Franck, a disability pensioner and mother of three from Tranbjerg outside Aarhus, says costs for events such as Halloween parties, pocket money for school trips and contributions to class funds are difficult to manage.

She spent about 2,000 kroner on extra expenses for her son’s eighth-grade class last year. Now, after being asked to transfer 410 kroner to the class fund, she says she will have to reduce the children’s Christmas gift budget.

“It is hard to be the one who says: ‘You can’t do that because we can’t afford it.’ It is shameful to say when you want the very best for your children and want to give them everything,” Franck said.

Regitze Spenner Ishøy, chair of the association Skole og Forældre, which is also behind the survey, said small costs can add up. Even a 35-kroner contribution to a children’s birthday party can become difficult when expenses keep coming, she said.

Franck said she does not feel able to raise the issue at parent meetings and has sometimes declined social events, claiming she already had plans even when her calendar was empty. She worries that repeatedly missing out can leave her children outside the social life their classmates share.

Ishøy said children may also withdraw from social activities because they are concerned about their family’s finances. That can affect their participation in other groups, their wellbeing in class and their involvement in lessons, she said.