No more waiting lists for Rodgau kindergarten children

• fromAnnette Schlegl

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At the end of the year, childcare is guaranteed for every child aged three and over in Rodgau. 300 places will be created – as much as is currently missing in Langen.

Other cities can currently only dream of this: at the end of the year, every kindergarten child will have a daycare place in Rodgau, the largest city in the Offenbach district. The city is currently creating twelve groups with 300 places for three to six year olds. Then there are a total of 1900 Ü3 places in Rodgau – with 1800 eligible children. That means full coverage, even including the children included.

With 300 additional Ü3 places in Langen, the third largest city in the Offenbach district, one would be extremely satisfied. Last year there was a shortage of 300 over-3 places and just under 200 places for crèche children. The city has increased property tax B by a whopping 185 percentage points to finance the daycare expansion. In the second half of the year, a total of almost 150 Ü3 places will be created. A sports day-care center for 75 children, a music day-care center for 25 kids as well as forest groups at the day-care center Forsthaus and the day-care center Zauberburg with 20 places each will be built in container construction. The Nordlicht day care center is being expanded to include a small group with eight places. In the coming year, further projects are planned in the growing city to ensure care for the desperate parents.

In Rodgau, on the other hand, they have been turning “a really big wheel” since 2016, as First City Councilor Michael Schüßler (FDP) put it. As the waiting lists show, with success. At least in the 3+ area, the legal entitlement to a daycare place will be fulfilled at the end of the year. When it comes to crèche places, the city is still a long way from that. Nine new U3 groups for a total of 108 children will be opened this year, but the coverage rate will still only be 63 percent. Since building costs of 700,000 euros are to be expected for each individual group of twelve, the U3 coverage will keep the city busy for a few years. “We are planning that 80 percent of all eligible age groups should have a place in the coming legislative period,” Schüßler looks ahead.

The city is breaking new ground in the construction of day-care centers. For the first time, two identical buildings are currently being built that combine care and affordable living under one roof. That means: space for two Ü3 and two U3 groups on the ground floor, ten residential units each with 60 to 80 square meters on the upper and top floors. The city is investing 6.5 million euros each for the buildings in the districts of Weiskirchen and Hainhausen, which will be built with local sand-lime brick.

For the completely barrier-free two- and three-room apartments with loggia, 8.50 to 9 euros per square meter are required. “That puts us 2.50 euros below the market price,” said Schüßler. The rooms are to be rented to people with a family income of up to around 2600 euros. This year, the city is spending “well over 25 million euros” in order to implement daycare centers and affordable housing, he explains.

The sponsorship for the two daycare centers is advertised across Europe. They should go into operation on November 1st.

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