In April 2016, the Law and Justice Government launched the Family 500+ programme to support Polish families. Currently, the programme is the financial pillar of state aid for raising children. Thanks to 500+, it is easier for many families, inter alia, to buy teaching aids for children or to make use of non-school activities. Many families using the programme include the family of Katarzyna Makowska from Płock.

I am a single mother raising four schoolchildren, and several years ago I could not afford to have any extra activities for children or more frequent trips with my family. Since we have a child-support benefit, my children may use additional activities, e.g. my daughter can make her dreams come true by attending horse riding lessons. We also bought additional computers, which made it easier for children to learn, especially during the pandemic – says Katarzyna Makowska.

Additional funds for families

Monthly family support from the Family 500+ programme helps in discovering new opportunities of development for more than 6.5 million children in Poland.

- Our task is to improve the financial situation of families with children and to invest in their future. It is important that, since the moment of launching the programme, the decision on spending the child-support benefit has been left to families. In this way, we stress the autonomy of families, we do not impose anything. It is families who know best what to spend their benefit on and what needs their children are most urgent – says Marlena Maląg, Minister of Family and Social Policy.

We have three children. Support from the programme allows us to invest in additional education for children, in addition to spending money on better clothes, toys, trips. We decided to create a savings account for them for a better start in the future – say Małgorzata and Włodzimierz Kwiatek from Trzebnica in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship.

Funds for teaching aids

The funds from the Family 500+ programme also make it easier to buy teaching aids necessary for children’s development. This is how Beata and Grzegorz Kryca from Sułkowice in Małopolska talk about it. – Since the moment of launching the programme, we have been able to give children better teaching aids, buy a printer, books for learning, inter alia, spelling, calligraphy, mathematics. Their room has been renovated and a bunk bed of their dreams has been made, so have many other things.

Support for 6.5 million children

Since the moment of launching the programme, families have received nearly PLN 168 billion of support. As of July 2019, all children, regardless of family income, have been supported by the programme. This October, the child support benefit was received by about 6.5 million children.