Bonus crèche, simplification arrives: the application will be valid forever and no more annual renewals

The crèche bonus is preparing for a real revolution in Italian bureaucracy: thanks to an amendment tabled by Senator Maria Nocco (Fratelli d'Italia) and approved by the Senate to the Economy Decree, an attempt is being made to rewrite the bureaucratic relationship between families and the public administration in the disbursement of the bonus.

One of the most eagerly awaited novelties, and one that costs the public purse very little but ends up cutting the compliance burden on families and citizens, concerns the application for the nursery school bonus. According to the approved amendment that will be definitively approved between Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 August by the Chamber of Deputies, the application will no longer have to be repeated every year. It will be enough to submit it once for it to be valid until the child turns three years old, without prejudice to the obligation to send the documentation attesting to the child's attendance at the nursery school and the verification of requirements every year.

A small revolution that, according to Senator Nocco of Fratelli d'Italia and signatory of the corrective to the economic decree, 'transforms the digitisation of the PA into a concrete advantage for citizens'. She adds: 'Today, asking families to resubmit an already approved application every year is an unnecessary complication. We have chosen the path of simplification, without additional costs for the State, but with a direct benefit for thousands of parents. The rule also guarantees uniformity of application throughout the country, overcoming differences in interpretation due to different regional regulations. An important step forward to guarantee equal rights to all children, wherever they live'.

The amendment gives multiannual validity to the application, remedying application discrepancies and reducing bureaucracy: a single application and, for the entire duration of the right (up to the child's third birthday), it will be sufficient to document annually the attendance at the educational service and the permanence of the requirements.

Another officially clarified novelty: the bonus applies not only to crèches, but to all types of childcare services provided by law - such as crèches, micro-crèches, spring sections and supplementary educational services, public or private, provided they are duly authorised on the basis of regional provisions.