With a view to the lack of staff and tight budgets, the Bavarian cities and municipalities see no chance of fulfilling the entitlement to all-day care for primary school children as planned. “The municipalities do not see themselves in a position to implement the legal entitlement to all-day care for primary school children that will exist from mid-2026 under the current framework conditions,” wrote the four municipal umbrella organizations on Tuesday in a call for help. A “dramatic undersupply in Bavarian child day care” is emerging.
“The municipalities urgently need support from the Free State of Bavaria in order to get the escalating situation under control,” wrote the central associations to Social Affairs Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU). The Bertelsmann Foundation’s specialist radar presented at the beginning of July assumes that, in the worst case, there could be a shortage of around 67,000 specialists for the care of daycare and primary school children in Bavaria by 2030. A survey of the municipalities not only confirmed a drastic shortage of skilled workers, but also brought to light a significant underfunding of investments.
The study counts far too few all-day offers
“In addition, there is a lack of planning security as to what state support from the federal and state governments the municipalities can count on when expanding all-day care for children of primary school age,” the city, municipal, district and district councils list. A study by the German Youth Institute assumes that between 108,000 and 136,000 additional places will have to be created in Bavaria by 2030. “However, urgently needed investments have to be postponed again and again. Massive increases in operating costs also give rise to fears of further closures of facilities,” the associations warn. Under these conditions, comprehensive all-day care for primary school children is illusory.
The legal entitlement to all-day support for primary school children has been anchored in the All-Day Support Act since 2021. It comprises 40 hours per week including lessons and applies to children from the first to the fourth grade. It is to be introduced in stages: starting in the 2026/2027 school year, it will apply to first-grade students and to all primary school classes from 2029/2030.
If the children are not looked after, the mothers in particular cannot work
According to the study by the youth institute, there are far too few all-day offers in Bavaria. 54 percent of the families have an urgent need – and not even 40 percent have a place. In practice, this means that many elementary school students, who often finish their lessons at 11:15 a.m., are back home by midday. As a rule, this severely restricts the professional opportunities of women in particular.
In order to save the situation, the central associations are proposing practical solutions that should consist of noticeable simplifications in the requirements and financial commitments of the Free State of Bavaria and the federal government. These included pragmatic solutions, for example in the deployment of personnel, the recognition of skilled workers or the creation of capacities through space sharing. Financial support should also increase. Above all, however, there is a need for “planning security for investment measures and for the dual use of (school) premises for the right to all-day care at primary school age”.