Most of Bavaria’s municipalities have not used the federal funds available for the expansion of all-day care for primary school children. According to the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, just 18.64 percent of the almost 117 million euros were applied for and paid out from the Free State in 2021 and 2022 – a total of around 21.7 million euros. The money could be used, for example, to buy or refurbish buildings, furniture, play and sports equipment, insofar as this creates additional childcare places for primary school children.
In a nationwide comparison, Bavaria is in last place behind Berlin (33.76 percent). The so-called acceleration program for all-day care with federal financial aid expired on December 31, 2022. The data from the Federal Ministry come from the past few days. According to a spokeswoman, late registrations are still possible.
The municipalities from other countries did not let the funding go to waste: the highest percentages were accessed from Bremen, Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg – they were either 100 percent or just under. The federal average was given by the ministry as 71.7 percent and was thus many times higher than the Bavarian percentage. In the Bavarian Ministry for Family Affairs, “tight deadlines” are cited as the main reason for the low number of applications from Bavaria. Applications could only have been submitted by the municipalities by June 30, 2021 due to federal requirements.
“Within these deadlines, the creation of additional places for school childcare was unrealistic from the start,” it said. Bavaria has adhered to the guidelines set by the federal government. “The Bavarian municipalities therefore had the opportunity to apply for the full federal funds.” At the same time, the ministry also refers to the state’s own support program: “For every all-day place for primary school children that the municipalities create by 2029, the Free State guarantees financial support for the investment costs,” said a spokesman. This would provide the municipalities with “strong and reliable” support beyond the services provided by the municipal financial equalization system. There has also already been a separate Bavarian after-school care program for the municipalities to create up to 10,000 additional places.
From mid-2026 there will be a legal entitlement to all-day care for primary school children in Germany. In Bavaria it is currently not foreseeable that this claim can also be realized. 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. At the same time, the municipalities are complaining about problems because the necessary investments cannot be made. 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.