planned legislation change - States should prioritarily place federal money inKita-staff
Countries will no longer be able to use the billions of the Federal Government for kindergarten funding to relieve parents of fees starting from 2025. Instead, the money should primarily flow into securing and acquiring specialized personnel, as stated in a paper on the planned new version of the Kindergarten Quality Law obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa).
Currently, the federal states could use up to 49% of these funds annually to reduce or abolish kindergarten fees. However, with the new law that is expected to pass through the cabinet in the coming weeks, this option will no longer be available. According to the Family Ministry, only six federal states are currently using this option to cover the costs of low kindergarten contributions with federal funds. For example, the state of Berlin, where kindergarten is free except for a basic fee and possible additional payments, only uses the funds for this purpose.
The Ministry does not expect higher kindergarten fees
The Ministry states that it does not expect the change to lead to higher kindergarten fees. The federal states would still have the option to finance the relief of parents' fees with their own funds, it says. In addition, there should be a six-month transition period during which the use of funds for the regulation of kindergarten fees as before would still be allowed. The new Kindergarten Quality Law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025. The agreement within the Federal Government on this matter has only just begun.
The Federal Government has supported the quality of kindergartens with funds amounting to four billion Euros in the current and previous year. An additional four billion Euros is planned for the coming two years, i.e., 2025 and 2026.
Ten thousand kindergarten specialists are missing
According to the paper, the federal states will be required to invest the money in the future in a measure to secure and acquire qualified personnel. Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) emphasized that the focus on kindergartens in the future will be on quality - hence the focus on specialists. Investments in early education are "central for the educational success and equal opportunities of our children," Paus told dpa. The Federal Government aims to achieve "equal standards in all kindergartens" nationwide.
The Minister does not mention a target figure for the desired personnel. Paus recently said that there could be 50,000 to 90,000 missing specialists in Germany's kindergartens by 2030. According to the recently published Kindergarten Report of the Parity Welfare Association, there could be as many as 125,000 missing specialists in the entire field of childcare. How this gap can be filled personnel-wise is unclear.
- The German Press Agency reported that the upcoming amendment to the Kindergarten Quality Law will redirect funding away from reducing parent fees, focusing instead on securing and acquiring specialized personnel from 2025.
- Lisa Paus, the Federal Family Minister, highlighted the importance of investing in early education and qualified personnel, stating that this focus aims to ensure educational success and equal opportunities for children nationwide.
- In Berlin, a city known for providing free kindergarten except for a basic fee and possible additional payments, the federal funds are currently used primarily for this purpose.
- With the new law, countries will no longer be able to rely on federal funds to subsidize parental fees for kindergartens, but they can still utilize their own resources for this purpose during a six-month transition period.
