Minister of Education - Hubig: Daycare expansion not yet keeping pace with needs
According to Education Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD), the expansion of daycare centers in Rhineland-Palatinate is still unable to keep up with the growing demand despite all efforts. "It is difficult to keep up with the wishes of parents and the needs of children," the SPD politician told the German Press Agency in Mainz. Parents were sending their children to daycare for longer and childcare had become more complex. Added to this is the shortage of skilled workers. "But it also has something to do with the fact that many youth welfare offices have not planned in line with demand for many years," said Hubig. That has changed. The entire system is undergoing a transformation process initiated by the Childcare Act.
Hubig emphasized: "We can see that the situation in Rhineland-Palatinate, as in the whole of Germany, is not one that really satisfies anyone." The Childcare Act has created 1600 new jobs. "But not all positions have been filled," she explained. The minister sees no need to change the staffing ratios. "The staffing ratio, if it were fulfilled correctly, is already such that you can work very well with it." Nevertheless, these requirements are constantly being reviewed and are not set in stone.
In its "State Monitoring of Early Childhood Education Systems" presented at the end of November, the Bertelsmann Foundation came to the conclusion that three quarters of children in Rhineland-Palatinate daycare centers are cared for in groups with "non-child-friendly staffing ratios". In crèche groups, one full-time specialist is mathematically responsible for 3.7 children in full-day care, while the foundation recommends a ratio of one to three. According to the study, there are mathematically 7.9 children per specialist in kindergarten groups, with the foundation recommending a ratio of one to 7.5. According to the study, there is a shortage of around 27,400 daycare places in Rhineland-Palatinate to meet the needs of parents.
Hubig said of the work in the facilities: "The heterogeneity in the daycare centers is extremely high - both in the cities and in the countryside." Against this background, the state has stipulated that there must be a language officer in every daycare center. The assessment of children's language skills, which used to take place six months before they started school, is also to be brought forward and will in future take place a year and a half before they start school. "But we're not there yet either, that's also a process."
"We cannot make any progress in the daycare landscape unless everyone helps together," said Hubig, who had recently announced a special program with an additional 40 million euros, especially for the coming year, for the construction or expansion of daycare centres so that more places can be created. This includes providers, local authorities, the youth welfare offices as demand planners, the state as co-financiers - "and as those who are also responsible for the daycare law".
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Source: www.stern.de
