From this autumn, Tallinn will start paying the one-time allowance 320 euros for children going to the first grade in one instalment. So far, the benefit has been paid in two parts. Parents can start applying for the benefit from 13 September.

"Every parent knows that starting a child's school journey comes with significant costs. A child going to the first grade needs everything new from pencil case and pens to school bag and sportswear. A child's going to first grade is definitely a special time for the family, but it is also a big expense. Thus, the city of Tallinn has decided to start paying the benefit for 1st graders all at once in order to alleviate the financial burden of parents at the beginning of school," said Deputy Mayor Betina Beškina.

The city of Tallinn has been paying the benefit for 1st graders since 2002, and so far the benefit has been paid to families in two equal instalments. The first part of the payment was made on the basis of applications submitted from September to November and the second part at the end of the school year, ie in June of the following calendar year.

In the beginning of this school year, parents can submit an application for a the benefit from 13 September to 30 November in the Tallinn self-service environment. In order to apply for the benefit, the child and at least one parent must be residents of Tallinn at least from 1 January of the current calendar year, and the child must be entered in the list of students of a Tallinn school. The application can be submitted by a parent living at the same address as the child.

The impact of the change in the payment of the benefit for 1st graders on the city budget is one-off; if the procedure is changed this autumn, the planned budget will increase by 646,000 euros. The change in the procedure for the benefit for 1st graders must be approved by the Tallinn City Council.