Shortage of daycare places: State parliament approves flexible solutions
In future, daycare providers in Baden-Württemberg will be able to decide for themselves to relax staffing requirements for a limited period of time - in other words, to reduce the number of teachers per group. A corresponding bill was approved by a majority of the state parliament on Wednesday with votes from the Greens, CDU and FDP. The SPD and AfD voted against. This introduces a so-called "trial clause", which allows daycare providers to decide for themselves on possible deviations from the requirements of a state ordinance.
The concept must be agreed with those affected locally. The state youth welfare office must then review the application. If the model is to be continued after the trial, its effectiveness must also be proven.
The state hopes that the new regulation will preserve and create daycare places and offer sufficient childcare hours. The regulation is not the only solution to the problems in the daycare sector, said Volker Schebesta, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. "It is one of the measures we are taking to maintain a balance between children's educational needs, parents' demand for childcare places and the workload of nursery teachers," said the CDU politician.
The SPD voiced harsh criticism. The SPD MP spoke of "quality dumping". "In our opinion, this is a big mistake that is being made on the backs of the children," said Born. The FDP welcomed the change, but at the same time called for further measures. "The trial paragraph alone is not the Holy Grail for solving all problems in the early childhood sector," said FDP MP Dennis Birnstock.
The Bertelsmann Foundation published a study on Tuesday according to which there is a shortage of around 60,000 daycare places in the south-west to meet the needs of parents.
Parliament's approval of flexible solutions in daycare could potentially benefit Kindergartens in Baden-Württemberg, allowing them to adapt teaching staff arrangements temporarily. With the green light from Parliament, educators might have leeway to adjust teacher-to-child ratios, provided that local stakeholders and youth welfare offices are consulted and approve the adjustments.
Source: www.dpa.com
