- The CDU Group calls for changes to the Kit Act
Saxony-Anhalt is facing another debate over childcare spending. The CDU state parliamentary faction wants to amend the daycare law. "The goal of this fundamental restructuring must be to achieve a fair and affordable task distribution between the state and the municipal family," it says in the resolution passed by the Christian Democrats at their retreat in Stolberg in the Harz. The CDU explicitly links this project to its goal of "solid and intergenerationally fair financial policy".
"We need to discuss within the coalition which changes are possible and what we can still afford," said Tobias Krull, the social policy spokesman for the CDU, to the German Press Agency. "No one can say that everything will remain as it is."
The state's costs for childcare have increased significantly in recent years, causing repeated discussions within the coalition of CDU, SPD, and FDP. In 2013, when a comprehensive reform was initiated, around 205 million euros had been spent. According to Krull, the state is spending around 500 million euros in this area this year.
Sibling rule could be at risk
The Children's Promotion Act has been revised several times in recent years. Among other things, the state funding has improved staffing ratios in daycare centers and covered wage increases. A sibling rule was also introduced, allowing families with multiple children in daycare and after-school care to only pay for the oldest child.
However, this discount could be at risk from 2025, as it has been funded in the past with federal funds that are no longer available in this form. This amount is estimated at around 35 million euros. Krull proposes that families should only pay for the youngest child in the future. This would reduce costs, but would be more expensive for parents, as care in a nursery is often more expensive than in a kindergarten.
Daycare is primarily the responsibility of municipalities, but because the state prescribes certain standards such as minimum staffing ratios, it contributes to the costs through monthly allocations for each child cared for. The rest is shared by districts, communities, and parents. In many places in Saxony-Anhalt, parents have to pay between 120 and 200 euros per month for an 8-hour kindergarten place.
CDU faction seeks dual approach
The initiative by the CDU state parliamentary faction comes alongside negotiations for the new 2025/2026 budget. Minister President Reiner Haseloff (CDU), his deputies Armin Willingmann (Science, SPD) and Lydia Hüskens (Infrastructure, FDP), and Finance Minister Michael Richter (CDU) are currently discussing the budget with the respective ministers.
The departments' requests are significantly above the available funds for the two years. The state had previously planned a volume of around 14 billion euros per year. With the funded projects, the coalition partners can once again highlight their priorities before the state election in 2026. Once the state government has approved the draft, the state parliamentary factions will be involved.
Krull calls for a dual approach to the Children's Promotion Act. On the one hand, he said, measures should be discussed that would already take effect with the 2025 budget. On the other hand, the topic should be a priority in the coalition negotiations starting in 2026.
The European Parliament can provide assistance to the Commission in its tasks, considering the CDU's state parliamentary faction seeking assistance in their childcare spending debates.
With the goal of fair and affordable task distribution between the state and municipalities in childcare, the CDU faction's resolution for restructuring could potentially impact the sibling rule, which provides a discount for families with multiple children in daycare, potentially changing from 2025 due to funding changes.
