Bertelsmann Foundation: Staffing ratio not appropriate for children
According to a statistical analysis by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the staffing ratios in daycare centers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are not appropriate for almost 96 percent of the children in care. This is the highest proportion in Germany, according to calculations by the foundation for the current "State Monitoring of Early Childhood Education Systems". The quality of educational work is suffering considerably as a result. "According to the latest forecasts, the federal state will not be able to achieve child-friendly daycare quality by 2030," it said in a press release on Tuesday. There is also a need for an additional 2,000 daycare places.
98 percent of the under-threes and 95 percent of the over-threes in groups in MV are cared for with inappropriate staffing ratios. In the crèche groups, one full-time specialist is responsible for 5.7 children in full-day care. This is less favorable than the ratio in western Germany of 1 to 3.4 and also falls well short of the ratio of 1 to 3 recommended by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
In kindergarten groups, the staffing ratio of 1 to 12.5 is the least favorable in Germany. Here, the western value is 1 to 7.7 and the recommended value is 1 to 7.5. "If a specialist is responsible for more children than scientifically recommended, the quality of educational practice suffers. It can be assumed that daycare centers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are currently unable to fulfill their educational mandate for the majority of children," said Kathrin Bock-Famulla, an expert on early childhood education at the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
The foundation is also skeptical about the coming years. According to the forecast, it will not be possible to adjust the staffing ratios in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the scientifically recommended value by 2030. "The state government must finally create the legal conditions to enable daycare centers to employ more staff," emphasized Bock-Famulla.
As in the other eastern federal states, the rate of children in daycare in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is above the national average. It is 59 percent for the under-threes (national average: 36 percent) and 96 percent for the over-threes (national average: 92 percent).
Kindergartens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also face inappropriate staffing ratios, as the high proportion of 95% for over-threes and 98% for under-threes in kindergarten groups indicates. This means that many kindergarten teachers are responsible for more children than the recommended ratio of 1:7.5, which negatively impacts the quality of their educational work.
Source: www.dpa.com
