Bertelsmann Stiftung: More staff for good daycare quality
The Bertelsmann Stiftung believes that significantly more staff are needed in daycare centers in Saxony-Anhalt. According to a study on early childhood education published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung on Tuesday, one full-time specialist is responsible for 5.5 full-time children in crèche groups in Saxony-Anhalt, while the foundation recommends a ratio of 1:3.
In kindergarten groups, the staffing ratio of 1:10.3 is also significantly less favorable than the recommended value of 1:7.5. 97 percent of under-threes and 89 percent of over-threes are cared for in groups with inappropriate staffing ratios, it says.
Can daycare centers fulfill their educational mission?
"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 Saxony-Anhalt are currently unable to fulfill their educational mandate for the majority of children," explained Kathrin Bock-Famulla, an expert on early childhood education at the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
According to the foundation, declining child numbers in Saxony-Anhalt offer the opportunity to achieve the scientifically recommended staffing ratio by 2030 and also to offer as many daycare places as parents need. However, this will require considerable effort. Staff must be kept on despite falling numbers of children, training graduates must be recruited and around 2,700 additional specialists must be recruited.
Suggestions: Relieve the burden on specialists, shorten opening hours
Educational specialists should be relieved of non-educational tasks, for example by hiring administrative and housekeeping staff. Career changers should also continue to be employed. Another possible measure mentioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung is a reduction in daycare opening hours to seven hours a day. "According to calculations by the Skilled Workers Radar, this could meet the place requirements of all parents in Saxony-Anhalt by 2025 and the staffing ratios could reach the better western level," it said. "In addition, according to the German Youth Institute's Childcare Study 2022, some parents in the federal state would like shorter childcare times than are contractually agreed."
However, Bock-Famulla pointed out: "Such an approach can only be agreed between parents, providers and local authorities." In addition, employers would have to adapt the working hours of parents more closely to the opening hours of daycare centers.
The labor market in Saxony-Anhalt's kindergartens requires significant changes, as the current staffing ratios fail to meet the scientifically recommended values. According to the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the labor market in these institutions needs more specialists to provide quality education, with over 2,700 additional professionals needed to achieve this goal.
Source: www.dpa.com
