The kindergartens are running out of staff

In the Frohnleiten parish kindergarten, only three of five groups are currently open, and all children whose parents have no alternative care options are combined in these three groups.

No substitute staff

Five colleagues are currently not on duty – the personnel situation is tense, especially due to employees who have tested positive, according to manager Birgit Sindelgruber: “The big dilemma is that we don’t get any substitute staff. It would be urgently necessary that there is a pool from which we can draw, from which we can say that we have supervisors or teachers who can step in.”

“Children and staff at the mercy of no protection”

In addition, the current quarantine regulation makes the situation more difficult, according to which only people who have tested positive have to be in quarantine, but not relatives in the same household with a negative test: “That means for us as staff, but also for our children, we are defenseless against the risk of infection”, says Sindelgruber, who emphasizes that the business could no longer be maintained without the help of her parents.

The shortage of skilled workers has been increasing for years

The closures and mergers of the kindergarten groups are also a big challenge for the children. The shortage of staff is hanging over the elementary area like the sword of Damocles, confirms Ulrike Hackinger from Wiki: “The big problem is that the shortage of skilled workers in the elementary education sector has become more and more acute from year to year. This started slowly ten years ago and has been acute for three years. Corona has intensified the whole thing. We urgently need colleagues for substitute services who can stand in for colleagues who have Corona and are at home.”

According to Sindelgruber and Hackinger, there is an urgent need for improvements in payment and appreciation in the elementary area in order to counteract the personnel situation in the kindergarten area.

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