"European Social Fund Plus Aids Austrian Families with Low Incomes in Commencing School": Affordance for economically disadvantaged households in Austria to initiate their children's schooling.

In a collaborative effort to help students kickstart their academic year, Austria has launched a new initiative called "School Start Ready." This programme, funded by the European Union's European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, has been operational since September 2024 and will run through December 2025.

The programme, a partnership between College 25+—a cooperative alliance comprising Volkshilfe Wien, Caritas Wien – Hilfe in Not, and the Wiener Volkshochschulen—aims to support educational initiatives for students.

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Union's most significant financial instrument for enhancing employment and education opportunities, has allocated €409 million for the period 2021-2027. ESF+, established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, is the EU's oldest funding instrument for investments in people.

The funds for the "School Start Ready" programme are covered by 90% from ESF+ and 10% from national funds. The programme combines the benefits of four funding instruments: the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Fund for the Most Deprived of Persons (FEAD), the Youth Employment Initiative, and the European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). However, the Youth Employment Initiative is not relevant for Austria.

The European Fund for the Most Deprived of Persons (FEAD) provides food and/or material basic support to the most deprived persons. The operational program for the support was approved by the European Commission on November 28, 2014.

Affected families will receive a letter in August 2025, notifying them of the schoolchild/children in their family who will receive a voucher worth 150 euros for the purchase of school items. This year, the voucher can be obtained digitally for the first time by setting up a "School Start App" and scanning the QR code. The voucher must be activated and redeemed by October 31, 2025.

Collection points of "Volkshilfe" and its partner organizations throughout the country will be available where the voucher can be printed from August 4 to September 12, 2025. The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection are financing the purchase of school supplies.

The programme covers kindergarten, primary school, general upper secondary school, vocational upper secondary school or middle school, polytechnic school, and vocational school. The voucher is available for families with school-age children up to the age of 24 who received minimum security or social assistance in June 2025.

Since 2022, around 140,000 "School Start Ready" vouchers have been issued, aiming to provide much-needed support to families and students across Austria. The initiative underscores the country's commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their socio-economic background.