Federal government to provide additional four billion euros to boost quality of kites
The federal states are to use the planned funds to, for example, ensure a good staff-to-child ratio in the facilities and better promote linguistic education. The focus, however, should be on attracting qualified professionals. "Professionals are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, bottleneck for stable daycare operations," emphasizes the Ministry of Family Affairs. The overall goal of the law is to improve the quality of child daycare in the states and to equalize the different quality levels.
The law is set to come into effect on January 1, 2025. It would be the third revision of the daycare quality law, which originally came into effect in January 2023.
"It's important that, despite tight budgets, we've managed to provide around four billion euros for daycares again for the next two years - just like in 2023 and 2024," explained Federal Minister of Family Affairs Lisa Paus (Greens). This means a total of eight billion euros will be invested in daycare quality in Germany - "a strong signal," Paus said.
"Whether children grow up in Munich, Halle, or Gelsenkirchen, our goal is equal standards in early childhood education in all daycares," Paus emphasized. Investments in early education are central to the educational success of children, she noted.
The federal and state governments had agreed in a statement in March to further advance the quality of child daycare. Unlike what was proposed in the coalition agreement, the bill passed by the cabinet does not set nationwide standards for daycares. Sources from the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs reported that the states had signaled that this was not yet feasible due to very different starting conditions.
"In the next step, we will continue to push for nationwide standards in early childhood education," said Green family policy spokeswoman Franziska Krumwiede-Steiner. "We acknowledge that this is currently not possible due to different starting conditions in the states. But our direction is clear: It should not matter where our children attend daycare - in Kiel, Döbeln, Essen, or Lörrach."
Krumwiede-Steiner praised Paus for the "clear progress" she has achieved with the bill, which now focuses entirely on quality. It's important to "proceed thoroughly and swiftly" through the parliamentary process to provide planning security for local actors, she said.
Praise also came from the states: "When it comes to education, the beginning is crucial," said Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Culture Theresa Schopper (Greens) in an online service. "Therefore, every euro invested in high-quality education and care for our youngest is well-spent and sustainable."
Children will greatly benefit from the improved staff-to-child ratio in daycare facilities, thanks to the funding allocated by the federal states. The goal of investing in eight billion euros in daycare quality in Germany is to ensure equal opportunities for children's education, regardless of their location.
