DGB worries about significant shortage in daycare expansion by summer.
With a strained budget, Finance Minister Lindner is pushing to put several programs on hold, including funding for daycare centers. The program designed to provide them with more staff and improved quality is set to expire in June, leaving a gap of 430,000 daycare places and 90,000 skilled workers. As per the German Trade Union Confederation, this must not continue.
The DGB is demanding significant investment in the expansion of daycare places. Deputy Chairwoman Elke Hannack stated that the federal government also has a role to play in this, as the current federal funding program for daycare place expansion will end in 2023. She expressed her disappointment at the slow progress on passing a new law for the improvement of childcare and the recruitment of skilled professionals.
The need for action is significant. According to research, Germany is currently lacking around 430,000 daycare places across the country. The requirement for skilled professionals in this field could rise to 90,000 by 2030. Hannack urged both the federal and state governments to take bold actions regarding this issue, particularly during the discussions with responsible ministers in Bremen that begin on Thursday.
In its coalition agreement, the German coalition government (SPD, Greens, and FDP) had promised to introduce a new investment program to create more daycare spots. However, since March, this program has not proceeded as planned. The existing program, aiming to create 90,000 new childcare spaces, will expire in June. The funding for better quality in daycare centers is also scheduled to end by the close of the year. The federal government had provided financial support totaling around four billion euros to the federal states in 2023 and 2024 for this purpose.
Insufficient daycare spots hinder employment
On Tuesday, Federal Family Affairs Minister Lisa Paus, alongside Bremen's Education Senator Sascha Karolin Aulepp, called for continued federal funding to improve child daycare quality after 2024. Paus mentioned the importance of the federal government's financial contribution to the development of child daycare during a joint meeting in Berlin.
This request came as a direct message to Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who expects substantial budget cuts from every department in the upcoming fiscal year negotiations. The federal government previously justified the termination of the planned daycare investment program due to savings targets.
DGB Vice President Hannack cautioned against any monetary austerity measures in early childhood education. "Our country needs skilled workers and cannot afford to be without young parents, who are often unable to work due to a lack of daycare spots," she warned. The debt brake should not be a "barrier to investments in crucial tasks," she added. The Finance Minister should be made aware of this.
Starting on Thursday, the responsible ministers and senators of the federal states will gather for a two-day meeting in Bremen, led by Education Senator Aulepp. The enlargement of childcare facilities and hiring more specialists in this area will be a significant part of the agenda.
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Source: www.ntv.de
