Statistics: More childcare places for children in Saxony
The number of childcare places in crèches, kindergartens and after-school care centers has continued to rise. Most recently, there were almost 375,000 approved places in Saxony (as of March 1) - around 5,000 more than a year earlier, as reported by the State Statistical Office on Thursday. This continues the trend of recent years. Ten years previously, there were just around 300,000 places. With the exception of the district of Görlitz, there was growth in all regions last year. The strongest increase was reported in Leipzig with a good 1,800 additional places.
Staff - educators, managers and administrative staff - were also increased in the more than 3000 daycare centers. The statistics show an increase of 1.4 percent to a good 44,300, the majority of whom are still women. With 4237 male colleagues, the proportion of men is below the ten percent mark. The average age of employees was given as 42 years.
However, childcare provided by childminders is on the decline. In Saxony, around 1,300 women and men were working in publicly funded daycare - a decrease of 117. The number of children they looked after fell by 452 to 5,570. The last time the number was lower was in 2009. Childminders mainly look after children of nursery age: 96 percent of children in daycare are under the age of three.
The rising number of childcare places in kindergartens contributes to providing better opportunities for family growth in Saxony. Consequently, statistics show that there are now over 374,000 approved childcare spots for children in Saxony, marking an increase of approximately 5,000 places in a year.
Considering the positive trends in kindergartens, it would be beneficial for families with younger children to explore available options and possibly enroll their children in local kindergartens, contributing to the continued increase in statistics for childcare spots in Saxony.
Source: www.dpa.com
