Further funding for language crèches remains a bone of contention between the federal and state governments. A new proposal from the federal states has outraged the federal minister of the Paus family.
In the controversy over the continuation of the “Nursery for language” program beyond the end of the year, Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Verdi) harshly criticized a new proposal from the federal states. “The behavior of federal states in seeking an interim solution for language nurseries is disappointing,” Paus said Wednesday. The latest letter from the Conference of Youth and Family Ministers (JFMK) makes this clear.
In the letter available from the German news agency, the federal states propose further funding of the program by the federal government even up to 2025 as an interim solution. This gives federal states time to create the new structures needed for early childhood language education and to integrate “language day centers” into these concepts. Total federal spending on early childhood education should not be reduced in the transition phase, but should be kept at the previous level, he said.
The proposal goes well beyond the transition period up to mid-2023 that Paus previously discussed. But Paus also said he found support in discussions with individual countries. Bremen, for example, has found a way to continue language nurseries. “Unfortunately, the JFMK together does not show any willingness to take responsibility for an interim solution for language crèches,” said Paus.
Acclaimed program
North Rhine-Westphalia is also already taking the initiative. Family Minister Josefine Paul (Verdi) announced Wednesday that the state will ensure a link to the funding of language asylum starting in the summer through the 2023 budget. He expressly welcomes the prospect of further federal funding until the summer of 2023. , promised by his colleague from the Greens Paus. “It is good that this important and widely acclaimed program finally has a concrete transition perspective,” said Paul.
A solution is urgently needed, especially in view of dedicated specialists in nursery schools. Paul also referred to the current findings from the IQB Education Trends Study. These once again made clear the need for action in support of the language.
Since 2016, the federal government has been funding additional nursery staff for language development through the “Language Kitas” program. From 2023, the federal government wants states to take on the funding themselves, as daycare is a matter for states. The basis for this is the so-called “Kita Quality Act”, by which the federal government wants to provide federal states with four billion euros for more staff and quality in their nurseries – they could even use it to promote language skills. About 6,800 of the approximately 58,000 crèches nationwide are “language crèches”.
Questions still open
However, the continued funding of the program until 30 June 2023, promised by Paus, is not yet a thing of the past. Funds from the federal budget would also be needed for the six-month transitional period. The “Language Asylum” program cost the federal government 184 million euros this year. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether around half of this amount would be needed for the transition period up to summer 2023.
In the trade union opposition to the Bundestag, the federal Länder’s proposal for an interim solution was approved. “Almost all experts have made it clear that ending language nurseries would amount to an educational catastrophe,” said family policy spokesperson Silvia Breher.
(Dpa)
