childcare - No relaxation in sight for skills shortage in kindergartens
More than two dozen mayoralors and mayoralors from Hesse have recently written a letter to the state government. Their plea: The shortage of kindergarten teachers and teacher assistants in municipal kindergartens is becoming more dramatic month by month. It is now almost impossible to file legal claims for a daycare spot. "There is currently no relief in sight," complained the 26 municipalities from the Main-Kinzig district and suggested, among other things, easing access to the childcare profession for young people with a Realschool diploma.
No response yet
"We have not yet received a response to the letter," the mayor of Maintal, Monika Böttcher, informed dpa on inquiry. All that has come in is an interim message that the letter has been forwarded to the Social Ministry and an answer will come from there. In other parts of the state, there is still a shortage of staff in kindergartens, for example in Frankfurt. According to rough estimates, around 750 more caregivers and caregivers will be needed there by 2029, as a spokesperson reported.
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"We need more places and well-trained staff," Education Officer Sylvia Weber explained a few days ago. She referred to the fact that in Frankfurt, since 2021, four institutions under municipal management have been newly opened or expanded. "A major challenge in this context is the implementation of the legal claim to a daycare spot for children in primary school age, which comes into effect in 2026," Weber explained. To inspire young people for the profession, the "Erzieher/in werden? NICE!" campaign was started.
No relaxation in sight
In Marburg, there are currently fewer than three percent of the positions in the 17 municipal kindergartens vacant, as a spokesperson reported. "That's relatively little compared to other municipalities." However, there is a certain personnel shortage. High sick leave figures were recorded, both in the municipal institutions and in those of the free providers. "Unfortunately, we do not see that this situation will ease up in the near future," the spokesperson added.
Reduction of care times
"If you want to recruit staff from other disciplines for work in kindergartens, it must also be attractive from a tariff perspective." In other words, for attractive professional groups such as logopedics, ergotherapy or physiotherapy, the previously possible remuneration in kindergartens is not attractive, the spokesperson noted with concerns. In the past few months, there have been cases where care times had to be reduced or emergency care had to be provided. "A free provider even had to close two kindergarten groups long-term due to a lack of personnel."
Legal claim not always immediately fulfilled
In Bad Hersfeld, according to the city administration, there are currently five caregivers and caregivers missing among about 125 staff in total. "Personnel will continue to be scarce, as too few are interested in this profession - measured against the demand, which was triggered by the federal government's legal commitment," explained a spokesperson. Since places are scarce, the legal claim to a daycare spot cannot always be fulfilled immediately. Then, the affected parents are spoken to.
Delays in kindergarten places
Sometimes solutions arise within weeks, but it has occasionally happened that parents received a place a year later than desired at their preferred location, the speaker explained. These delays did not concern kindergarten places for toddlers, but only kindergartens with the care of three- to six-year-olds.
Parents sometimes reject places
The speaker pointed out that the nationwide legal guarantee includes a kindergarten place in the respective home community, not in the preferred institution of the parents. The city of Bad Hersfeld with its 14 municipal kindergartens tries to accommodate every parental wish. "That's not possible everywhere due to capacity reasons," the speaker noted. Delays often occur because the parents do not want the offered alternatives, such as a kindergarten near one parent's workplace.
More than half of the communal kindergartens in Offenbach reduce their offer
The self-employed kindergartens Offenbach report about approximately 100 missing full-time staff. A city spokesperson assumes that about 750 to 800 existing care places are not available to Offenbach families due to the shortage of staff. "Currently, 17 of 29 municipal kindergartens have a care time reduction or some groups are not fully enrolled," the spokesperson shared. "In the U3–group, we have a small reduction, but for the three- to six-year-olds, we have larger reductions due to the shortage of staff."
Anticipated growing competition for staff
"We try to keep restrictions as small as possible in all cases, often only reducing by an hour a day, so that all children have access to the educational offer in our kindergartens," the spokesperson explained. According to the city of Offenbach's assessment, the competition between free providers and municipalities in recruiting staff is expected to intensify.
- The mayors from the Main-Kinzig district, including Maintal's Monika Böttcher, have expressed concern about the increasing labor shortage in municipal kindergartens.
- Frankfurt, like other parts of Hesse, is facing a significant shortage of caregivers and caregivers, with estimates suggesting the need for 750 more by 2029.
- In response to the labor shortage, Frankfurt has launched a campaign called "Erzieher/in werden? NICE!" to inspire young people to join the childcare profession.
- In Marburg, while the number of vacant positions in kindergartens is low, there's still a certain personnel shortage due to high sick leave figures.
- To attract staff from other disciplines to kindergartens, remuneration needs to be competitive, as noted in Bad Hersfeld, where some caregivers are missing among about 125 staff.
- In Bad Hersfeld, due to the labor shortage, the legal claim to a daycare spot cannot always be fulfilled immediately, and parents are spoken to about alternative options.
- Delays in obtaining kindergarten places occur in Bad Hersfeld, as parents sometimes reject the alternatives proposed by the city, such as a kindergarten near a parent's workplace.
- In Offenbach, more than half of the communal kindergartens have reduced their offer or have some groups not fully enrolled due to the shortage of staff, which is expected to intensify the competition for staff between free providers and municipalities.
