Childcare - Children's stores fight against displacement with a day of action
With an action day in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Kindergartens and daycare centers want to resist rising rents and displacement today. Rents of up to 28 Euro per square meter or extremely high step rents are not affordable for Kindergartens and other small childcare institutions, said Babette Sperle from the Berlin Association of Kindergartens and Daycare Centers (DaKS) to the German Press Agency. The DaKS is demanding a rent reference point for commercial spaces, where most Kindergartens are located. "We also demand a rental priority for social projects and the abolition of tax incentives for vacancies," said Sperle.
According to their estimates, there are approximately 1,000 Kindergartens or small daycare centers with fewer than 50 children in Berlin, which often rent commercial spaces such as shops. There is no regulation of rental prices. Institutions have to move or give up frequently, said Sperle. The problem has assumed larger proportions in the past ten years. "We have eight new cases this year that have been affected by evictions and rent increases," said a DaKS employee.
"We are stretching ourselves very thin and are looking at how much we can save with a lot of voluntary engagement, but that also has its limits. It's no longer acceptable when we have to make cuts in pedagogical quality to make the landlord rich," she emphasized.
The rental policy spokesperson for the Greens, Katrin Schmidberger, demands that state-owned housing companies offer their commercial spaces primarily for such uses. "The state should also provide guarantees so that Kindergartens can buy and secure their existence through the acquisition of spaces," said the deputy. She and other politicians plan to participate in the action day. Visits to the Kindergartens Krümelkinder and Munkelrübe are planned. In addition, other Kindergartens in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg are participating with actions to draw people's attention to the problems in their neighborhoods.
Kindergarten Action Day DaKS
- Due to the rising rents and displacement, several Kindergartens and daycare centers in Berlin-Kreuzberg are participating in a Childcare Action Day to resist these issues.
- The German Press Agency reported that Babette Sperle from DaKS mentioned that basic rent rates of up to 28 Euro per square meter and high step rents are unaffordable for most Kindergartens and daycare centers in Berlin.
- Katrin Schmidberger, the rental policy spokesperson for the Greens, is advocating for state-owned housing companies to prioritize offering their commercial spaces to Kindergartens and daycare centers, and for guarantees to allow these institutions to secure their existence by purchasing spaces.
- Demonstrations and actions are being organized by various Kindergartens and daycare centers in Berlin, including Kruemelkinders and Munkelrube, to draw attention to the affordability issues affecting these institutions and the children they serve.
