- Advocates for Maintaining a Policy Encouraging Multiple Offspring
The German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) advocates for maintaining the existing multiple-child policy in childcare. As mentioned by DGB state chairwoman Susanne Wiedemeyer, families with numerous kids frequently encounter significant financial hurdles due to escalating living expenses. This regulation alleviates financial strain on parents and minimizes regional disparities in childcare costs, she elaborated. It's also crucial for the state government to address the current staffing predicament in these facilities.
In 202X, the state's financial commitment, as per the Ministry of Social Affairs, is approximately 449 million euros. At present, families with multiple kids in nursery, kindergarten, and after-school care only pay for the eldest child. However, the CDU and FDP in the state legislature are advocate for families to pay only for the youngest child in the future. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, this could save around 18 million euros. Nonetheless, implementing such a reform would result in increased costs for some parents, as nursery care (for kids aged 0-3) is typically more expensive than kindergarten (for kids aged 3-6).
The origin of this debate is the ongoing conversations about the double budget and the substantial increase in state expenditure on childcare in recent times. Moreover, federal funds allocated for the sibling children regulation will not be accessible in the future.
The ongoing discussions about the double budget and the significant rise in state expenditure on childcare in recent times have sparked debates. Families currently only pay for the eldest child in nursery, kindergarten, and after-school care, but proposals suggest they might only pay for the youngest child in the future, potentially affecting expenses for some. The lack of federal funds for the sibling children regulation in the future is an additional consideration in the childcare debate.
