School supplies now unaffordable for many working parents

Stichting Leergeld Nederland, a foundation that helps financially struggling parents buy school supplies, is being flooded with requests for help. The foundation is also noticing a new social group needing help - working parents, the Volkskrant reports.

These are lower-middle-class families who earn just too much to qualify for municipal support, Stichting Leergeld director Gaby van den Biggelaar said to the newspaper. “If you zoom in on their situation, you see they have very little disposable income due to high energy costs or debts.”

The foundation expects to support 160,000 children this year, 25 percent more than last year. The waiting times are increasing, resulting in parents often having to wait weeks for a much-needed bicycle or school bag.

Whether parents are eligible for support varies per region. Stichting Leergeld Nederland consists of over 100 local foundations, each with its own income rules. “But we try to think of the best interest of the child, regardless of the parent’s income, “Van den Biggelaar said.

What support a parent needs depends on the age of their child. Parents with kids in primary education usually apply for help with a bicycle or sports lessons. Parents of secondary school kids primarily need help with the compulsory laptop. Van den Biggleaar called it crazy that parents have to cover this cost. “We are now using poverty resources for costs that should actually be paid by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.”

Parliament already insisted that the Cabinet step in to help children from struggling families by passing a motion to make 100 million euros available for free lunch at school. In anticipation of this, the government started offering free breakfast at 500 schools in underprivileged neighborhoods last week.