For the “Hirschgarten-Zwerge” it’s the final end, but for the 19 children of the kindergarten group it goes on – in a municipal facility in the district. This surprising turnaround in favor of the threatened day care center only began a few days ago. Until then, the parent-child initiative (EKI) from Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, which had surprisingly been given notice of the premises on Wotanstraße until the end of 2023 a year ago, had assumed that their facility would be unavoidably closed. But now, according to the department for education and sport, the two- to six-year-olds are being cared for “closely” as a group by the city.
“We mourn the loss of our parent-child initiative and our educational staff, but we are happy about this new perspective,” says Humphrey Morhenn from the Hirschgarten dwarfs. Because until the city’s surprising commitment, the club’s active members had been desperately looking for alternatives for months – especially since kindergarten places are urgently needed in the area. In Neuhausen-Nymphenburg the level of supply is 88 percent, in nearby Laim it is just 70 percent.
But the search was unsuccessful – with the corresponding consequences for morale. “We parents are now completely burned out and desperate,” said Sarah Zeidler from the board and her partner Morhenn at the beginning of August. Two of her three children go to the privately run day care center.
How deep the frustration and disappointment is after this experience can be felt when the parents talk about their experiences. Option one would have been to move within the house. The Hirschgarten dwarfs and their team of educators are currently housed on the second floor, the floor below is free and could theoretically be used. “But this solution would cost us 100,000 euros.” Because the landlady insists on noise protection measures in the interest of the neighbors. The city promotes such measures – but only if they serve to protect children and staff.
They had even considered a space next to a brothel
Offer number two on Landsberger Strasse, right next to a brothel, is also problematic. “The situation is difficult, but we considered this possibility,” says Sarah Zeidler. But this variant also has an unsolvable dilemma: the start of the rental period. The sponsoring association should have paid for the commercial property in March. Rent doubled for ten months, two of which the municipality would have taken on – it couldn’t be financed. There were other objects that the kindergarten didn’t get, according to the parents, “for fear of noise from the children”.
The association finally discovered the most promising property in the immediate vicinity. A former Schlecker branch, last used as a PC shop. “I know a lot of EKIs who found accommodation in former Schlecker stores,” says Ursula Baumgartner from the small children’s day-care center association KKT. These properties are “ideal” – with the large window panes that let light into the rooms, and in terms of size.
It didn’t work for the Hirschgarten dwarfs – because of “a lack of support from the city,” says Morhenn. The landlady of the day-care center had offered 230 square meters of shop space at a rent of 16 euros per square meter, “which we were happy about because this is the maximum limit that can be subsidised”. 60 percent of the room and staff costs would have been covered by the municipality. The funding guidelines allow for up to 80 percent, but in order to receive this sum, the association would have had to increase its group to 25 children – “which was not possible given our educational concept and the situation of the caregivers”. Nevertheless, the sponsoring association would have been able to cope with it.
Those responsible feel let down by the city
Uncertainty about the assumption of costs for structural requirements such as fire protection or escape routes became a problem. According to the KKT information flyer, “the city will bear the special costs incurred by the parents’ initiative or the landlord if the rooms are converted in such a way that children can be looked after in them”. But Morhenn says that the Hirschgarten dwarfs “always received feedback from the education department that the subsidy quota was made on a case-by-case basis”. In the form of “proportionate funding of up to 100 percent of the material costs,” adds education department spokesman Andreas Haas.
From the owner’s point of view, a “vicious circle” was created: “The owner didn’t want to give us a rental contract without specific information about the costs and conversion measures,” explains Morhenn. “And without specific commitments to subsidies from the city, we could not sign a lease with the associated costs for liability reasons.”
A few days ago, the parents had informed the educational team “with numerous tears” that the Hirschgarten dwarfs would be disbanded. The last day of care should be August 25th. The association also had to turn down the 40 people on the waiting list for a daycare place in the facility. At least for the children currently in the group, the hoped-for move is now pending. And the staff should also get offers in view of the shortage of skilled workers.