Last year, more children than ever before attended a daycare or day care center. Nevertheless, the gap in childcare remains large – especially for the youngest children. Yesterday, scientists had already warned of an overload of daycare centers.
In Germany, more children attended a day care facility or daycare center in 2023 than ever before. As of March 1, there were almost 860,000 children under three and almost 2.7 million over three. This is according to a report by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. This means an increase for both age groups: two percent for children under three and 1.5 percent for those over three.
Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus said that demand continues to exceed supply. The federal government will therefore continue the Daycare Quality Act after 2024 and will provide a further four billion euros over the next two years, in particular to attract and retain skilled workers.
Growing gap between supply and demand
The gap between the need for and availability of childcare for children under three has widened by one percentage point, the report says. 36.4 percent of children in this age group are cared for. However, 51 percent of parents want childcare for their children under three. Of the three to five year olds, 91.3 percent are cared for, compared to a need of 96.7 percent.
Overload warning
Yesterday, 300 scientists warned in an open letter that daycare centers would be overloaded. The letter, which was made available to “Zeit” in advance, is addressed to the party leaders of the governing coalition and is to be published today. The scientists warn of the negative effects of stress in the first years of many children’s lives and a threat to the child’s well-being. Due to staff shortages and overcrowded groups, one- and two-year-olds are already showing signs of exhaustion and malaise.
The open letter states: “The consequences for children, parents, professionals and society as a whole are already almost irreparable due to an increase in psychological abnormalities and a growing educational gap – especially among children affected by or at risk of poverty.” The letter was signed by well-known developmental psychologists, childhood educators, educational researchers and medical professionals.
