The Bavarian state government should take action against excessive fees in private daycare centers. In a letter to Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) demands that municipalities be allowed to cap prices. “We have done everything legally possible to provide the best possible relief for parents. Now the Free State must do its part and create the necessary legal basis to prevent the excessive fees charged by some providers,” he said. “This is the only way we can relieve all parents of daycare fees and create a fair system.”
At the start of the new daycare year in September, the city will have to change its funding system because the current model is illegal. In the future, the city wants to compensate for the annual deficit of all private providers. Some of the private operators believe this is not feasible and therefore want to increase the fees significantly, peaking at more than 1,000 euros for a daycare place.
The city wants to help affected parents, said SPD parliamentary group leader Anne Hübner: “The online calculator for economic youth welfare is scheduled to launch this week, with which parents can calculate the subsidies they are entitled to for daycare fees, and the parent advice center will be launched on March 14th in the social department.” Nothing more is possible in Munich, said Green Party leader Sebastian Weisenburger. The Free State must “give up its blockade against a necessary change in the law and finally listen to the parents.”