- Female educators tend to experience illness more frequently than the general population.
Unusually high absences due to sick leave among kindergarten staff in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are exacerbating an already tense labor situation in these facilities. A study of health insurance data reveals that workers in childcare took around 34.7 days off per year, significantly more than the average of about 20 sick days across all professions, as reported by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Expert Forum. Compared to other states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is well above the average (29.6).
The Bertelsmann Foundation, which guides the Expert Forum, mainly uses data from DAK health insurance, where 12.2% of childcare employees are insured. The trend is supported by the data from other health insurance providers available to the Foundation.
Experts raise concerns about a harmful cycle of high sick leave rates and staff overload
"Many kindergartens are stuck in a harmful cycle: The rising sick leave rates result in more specialists being absent, which in turn increases the workload for the remaining staff," comments Anette Stein, early childhood education expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation. "High-quality early childhood education, care, and upbringing are becoming less feasible in many places due to this."
According to the Foundation, according to Techniker health insurance data, respiratory infections were the most common cause of sick leave, followed by mental health issues.
To offset absences due to illness, vacations, and training, the Foundation believes that Mecklenburg-Vorpommern needs an additional 2,500 full-time specialists. The estimated cost of 154 million euros for one year would temporarily alleviate the staffing crisis, the Foundation estimates.
The rising absences due to sick leave necessitate prompt emergency care measures in kindergartens to ensure continuity of quality education. This cycle of high sick leave rates and staff overload could be broken with enhanced emergency care services to provide cover during absences.
