Support of €100 per year for the purchase of work clothes for early childhood education workers, morning and afternoon activity instructors, and preschool instructors.

Early childhood education involves a variety of tasks and working conditions in which staff must protect themselves from dirt, infections, cold and sun exposure, among other things. The work involves a lot of outdoor activities in varying weather conditions.

Clothing and footwear used for work can only be deducted as income-related expenses for tax purposes if the work attire cannot be used for any other purpose than work (Tax Administration guidelines: Income-related expenses from earned income, 4.5).

The annual workwear costs for people working in early childhood education are significant. Several hundred euros are spent on clothing purchases each year, due to higher than normal wear and tear and the fact that employees need to have different layers of clothing to suit varying weather conditions. Employees are also responsible for maintaining their own work clothes.

When considering support for workwear in early childhood education, it is also important to take into account the potential impact on sick leave and the prevention of accidents at work from an occupational safety perspective. Appropriate clothing and protective equipment can reduce sick leave and occupational accidents, thereby reducing costs for employers.

Clothing allowance should apply to all permanent early childhood educators and those on long-term fixed-term contracts.

A clothing allowance would help to attract employees to the early childhood education sector, which is suffering from a severe staff shortage. The attractiveness and retention of early childhood education staff could be strengthened by subsidising the cost of work clothing. A clothing allowance for early childhood education would also have a positive impact on the employer’s image.

We propose that the municipality of Tuusula investigate the possibilities of subsidising the purchase of workwear for early childhood education staff.

This content has been translated using AI

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