Childcare - More daycare centers submit applications to lower standards
Initial reluctance from daycare providers has led to numerous applications for more flexible handling of personnel requirements in kindergartens. According to a response from the Culture Ministry in response to an inquiry from the SPD fraction, 52 such applications had been submitted to the responsible communal association for youth and social affairs (KVJS) by June 10th. Of these, 13 had been approved and 32 were still being processed. Seven providers had withdrawn their applications.
At first, providers had only hesitantly requested exceptions: by the end of February, only four applications had been submitted to the KVJS. According to the Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg, there are more than 9800 kindergartens in Baden-Württemberg.
The Landtag passed a majority vote for the introduction of a so-called experimental paragraph at the beginning of December. This paragraph allows daycare providers to decide on site about possible deviations from the provisions of a state regulation, for example, reducing the number of childcare workers per group.
Not fewer caregivers, but different qualifications
According to the Ministry of Culture, providers are using this paragraph to deviate from various regulations. Nine providers are reportedly using the opportunity to hire staff without the required qualifications. In four cases, more children are to be cared for in a group than planned. In two cases, the facility management has a different qualification than prescribed.
The spokesperson for early childhood education for the SPD fraction, Daniel Born, called the experimental paragraph the "most unnecessary paragraph ever thought of by anyone." It brings no relief for kindergartens. "And the approved experiments so far show that it doesn't foster new creative models but only undermines existing quality standards," Born said. Instead, kindergartens need an expansion of training, household staff, and so-called multi-professional teams with professionals such as speech therapists, logopedists, or occupational therapists.
Daycare staff themselves view the paragraph less critically. "We are very relieved that in the first half of the year the number of applications was quite manageable," said Anja Braekow, first chairwoman of the Association of Daycare Staff in Baden-Württemberg. There was a concern that many providers would use the flexibility to lower the staffing ratio.
However, many providers were reluctant to do so, according to Erzieherin Braekow, who runs a kindergarten in Rheinfelden. "Many don't want to do that because they're afraid that even more caregivers will leave the kindergarten or the profession."
The paragraph could also help address personnel issues in the kindergarten sector if used correctly, according to Braekow. The main problem is that no one wants to work in a kindergarten because it's always read that it's terrible there. With the help of the paragraph, one could also attract people to the kindergarten who haven't learned the caregiver profession but have a great passion for the work.
The concept to be submitted with the application can be designed for a maximum period of three years and it must be coordinated with those affected on site, i.e. with families and caregivers. The state youth welfare office then needs to review the application. If the model is to be continued after the trial period, the effectiveness must also be proven.
The state hopes that with this new regulation, kindergarten places can be obtained or created, and sufficient care times can be offered.
Last year, the Bertelsmann Foundation published a study showing that approximately 60,000 kindergarten places are missing in the South to meet the parents' demand. To meet the demand for kindergarten places, the Foundation calculates that an additional 14,800 specialized staff will be needed by the year 2025. Where these staff will come from is unclear: municipalities have long been complaining that the market for specialized staff is completely empty.
- The SPD fraction submitted an inquiry to the Ministry of Culture regarding flexible personnel requirements in kindergartens, citing 52 applications received by the KVJS by June 10th.
- According to the Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg, there are over 9800 kindergartens in the region, and initial reluctance from providers led to only four application submissions by the end of February.
- The Landtag passed a majority vote for the introduction of an experimental paragraph in December, allowing daycare providers to deviate from state regulations on site.
- Anja Braekow, the first chairwoman of the Association of Daycare Staff in Baden-Württemberg, expressed relief at the manageable number of applications, as providers were worried about lowering the staffing ratio.
- The Bertelsmann Foundation recently published a study indicating a lack of approximately 60,000 kindergarten places in the South and the need for an additional 14,800 specialized staff by 2025 to meet demand.
- Erzieherin Braekow suggested that the experimental paragraph could help address personnel issues in kindergartens by attracting individuals passionate about the work who may not have gone through formal caregiver training.
