- Minister warns of increased burden on families
Saxony-Anhalt's Social Minister Petra Grimm-Benne opposes a higher financial burden on families for daycare fees. "I firmly reject savings at the expense of young families," said the SPD politician. "The multi-child discount is an advantage for Saxony-Anhalt and a clear signal to families with multiple children. Those who want to save here are saving the future of the country."
Currently, families with multiple children in daycare, kindergarten, and after-school care only pay for the oldest child. The coalition partners CDU and FDP propose that families should pay in the future for the youngest child instead of the oldest. This would reduce expenses by around 18 million euros, according to the Social Ministry. This year, the state's allocations total around 449 million euros.
Such a reform would mean a higher burden for some parents, as care in daycare (0-3 years) is often more expensive than in kindergarten (3-6 years). For example, a family with three children in the city of Thale (district of Harz) would have to pay an additional 270 euros per month.
Daycare expenses have risen sharply
The debate is about the current negotiations on the double budget and the sharply increased state expenses for childcare in recent years. In 2013, 205 million euros were spent. For 2026, the Social Ministry has announced 585 million euros, said CDU faction leader Guido Heuer. "This is not in proportion, despite growing child numbers in recent years." There should be no taboos.
Grimm-Benne sees it differently. "Parents must also be able to rely on stable fees and high-quality early childhood education in the future. We have anchored this in the coalition agreement," said the minister.
So far, funds from the federal government have also been used to finance the sibling children regulation. However, according to a bill passed by the federal cabinet, this may only continue until the end of 2025. "From 2026, the fee relief must be secured with state funds," the Social Ministry in Magdeburg announced.
The Social Democrats refer to the coalition agreement. There, CDU, SPD, and FDP have agreed to permanently secure the relief for families - "also in case of possible loss of federal funds," it says there. This could lead to heated debates in the negotiations on the state budget 2025/2026, as CDU and FDP want to limit expenses.
"We have to see how we deal with this, because we are scraping at the limit of our capacity," said CDU faction leader Guido Heuer, referring to the state budget. Social politician Tobias Krull (CDU) emphasized that a change in the sibling children regulation is not only acceptable but also necessary. He asked the coalition partners to "have an open-minded discussion and not just say what's not possible, but also say what is."
Grimm-Benne, as a representative of the SPD's Social Democrats in Saxony-Anhalt, maintains their commitment to the coalition agreement, which includes permanently securing fee relief for families with multiple children. The SPD strongly opposes Shouldering the increased financial burden of daycare fees on families with multiple children, as proposed by the coalition partners CDU and FDP.
