Help for Bavaria's municipalities - Free State holds out the prospect of more money for all-day expansion
To accelerate the slow development of extended care services for primary school children, the Free State intends to support the communes with more money. "The social and economic significance of extended care is enormous. The Free State of Bavaria has been investing extensively in extended care offers since then. With the upcoming legal claim, we will further strengthen our support and therefore extend the offers to include the fifth weekday," said Bavarian Minister of Culture Anna Stolz (Free Voters) about the expansion concept presented on Tuesday evening.
Additional funding for each additional place created
Concretely, the focal points include additional funding for investment costs for each additional place created. There will be an additional investment subsidy of 1,500 Euro per place. This can be used to finance furniture, play equipment, or kitchens, for example. In addition, there should be a uniform place subsidy of 6,000 Euro for the promotion of investment. This subsidy will also apply to places under school supervision or located in combined facilities, it was stated. So far, the funding subsidy for this was 4,500 Euro. The funding for expansion and modernization buildings in the daycare sector should also be facilitated.
From the school year 2026/2027, the legal claim for full-day care for children in primary school age comes into force step by step. The communes fear that they will not be able to implement the expansion in the required framework and that it will lead to problems similar to those with the legal claim for kindergarten places. According to studies, more than ten thousand places are still missing in the state more than a decade after their introduction.
Sharp: "The demand for extended care by families is unbroken"
Social Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU) tried to instill confidence: "The new focal points are an important step to accelerate the expansion of extended care in the communes together. The demand for extended care by families is unbroken. They have to leave their children in a qualitatively high-quality childcare that fits their living environment."
The chairman of the Bavarian City Day, Straubing Mayor Markus Pannermayr (CSU), assessed the new investment package as "a small step in the right direction." It is positive that, after long negotiations, the Social Ministry and the Ministry of Culture have now moved, he emphasized. In particular, he highlighted that the Free State, contrary to plans, will now, without deductions, pass on the federal funds for operating costs from 2026 to the communes. "For the cities and municipalities, this brings clarity after a long time of uncertainty." The conditions will help the communes find a sustainable solution, but it is not the solution itself. For example, it is still unclear whether there will actually be enough personnel to fulfill the legal claim.
- The proposal to boost extended care services for primary school children in Bavaria will primarily focus on supporting municipalities financially.
- As part of the expansion plan, additional funding will be provided for investment costs associated with creating additional places, with a subsidy of 1,500 Euro per place.
- Ulrike Scharf, the Minister of Social Affairs in Bavaria's CSU government, acknowledged the high demand for extended care services by families and stressed the importance of providing high-quality care.
- From the school year 2026/2027, there will be a legal claim for full-day care for children in primary school age, a development that has raised concerns among municipalities about their ability to implement the expansion within the given framework.
- The chairman of the Bavarian City Day, Markus Pannermayr, commended the new investment package as a "small step in the right direction," highlighting the clarity it brings regarding the transfer of federal funds for operating costs from 2026.
- Despite the new measures, some uncertainties remain, such as whether there will be enough personnel to meet the legal claim for extended care services in schools and municipalities.
