In view of the massive shortage of nursery teachers and the difficulties municipalities face in offering childcare to all children, the Baden-Württemberg Association of Cities is calling for a review of the legal right to a daycare place. “One should not declare an unconditional legal right to daycare as sacrosanct, but must be open and see whether it may need to be made more specific or limited in time,” said Social Affairs Minister Benjamin Lachat. Instead of leaving numerous children without childcare, it would be better to offer all children a daycare place with a limited number of hours.
Last year, the Bertelsmann Foundation published a study which found that there are around 60,000 daycare places missing in the southwest to meet parents’ needs. According to the foundation’s calculations, an additional 14,800 skilled workers will be needed by 2025 to meet the demand for daycare places.
Municipalities have begun to shorten daycare opening hours
Several municipalities have already begun to reduce the opening hours of their daycare centers across the board. In Offenburg, Baden, for example, the Malteser Hilfsdienst organizes afternoon care for children aged three and over.
“My biggest concern is that we are heading towards a situation where, in case of doubt, the more honest ones might prevail,” said Lachat. “And the children who depend on protection and support and targeted support from the state might be neglected.” Currently, families who are familiar with the German legal system are suing for a childcare place.
The local council is calling for more assistants to relieve the burden on the teachers and for the possibility of operating daycare centers with fewer staff at times. This will ensure that care can be maintained and offered to all children, a spokeswoman said.
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Baden-WurttembergBaden-WurttembergFamilyPoliticsSocial
