According to a study, there are around hundreds of thousands of daycare places missing nationwide – despite the legal right to a childcare place and progress in expanding offerings. The situation is now “unbearable”.
According to calculations by the Bertelsmann Foundation, there is currently a shortage of more than 400,000 daycare places in Germany. The foundation said there has been noticeable progress in expanding daycare offerings in recent years Publication of the “Country Monitoring of Early Childhood Education Systems” in Gütersloh. But at the same time the need has continuously increased.
Accordingly, more and more parents want childcare – especially for their younger children. “The shortage of skilled workers is making it increasingly difficult to fulfill legal rights and implement the educational mandate in daycare centers,” explained Anette Stein, an expert at the Foundation for Early Childhood Education. “The situation has become intolerable for children and parents as well as for the existing staff.”
Lack of space in West Germany especially high
Since 2013 there has been a legal right to a daycare place for children older than one year old. It has been in effect for those over three years old since 1996. According to the foundation, the lack of space is particularly severe in the western German states. According to this, there is a lack of 385,900 places to meet the care needs. There is a gap of around 44,700 daycare places in East Germany.
The care ratio, especially in East Germany, is far behind the scientific recommendations. There, almost 90 percent of daycare children are cared for in groups in which one specialist is responsible for significantly more than three children under the age of three or more than 7.5 children over the age of three. In West Germany, this is the case in a good 60 percent of the groups. According to the authors of the study, the shortage of skilled workers is making it increasingly difficult to implement the educational mission of daycare centers.
Bertelsmann Foundation
Addressing social challenges and having a lasting impact on society – that is, according to the Bertelsmann Foundation’s own statement, the goal. It was founded in 1977 by the Gütersloh-based entrepreneur Reinhard Mohn, then head of the Bertelsmann media group. According to the group, the foundation now holds more than 80 percent of the shares in Bertelsmann Verlag, which includes the RTL Group and Penguin Random House, among others.
For its studies, the foundation collects and analyzes data and ultimately makes recommendations for action to decision-makers. It works operationally, which means it does not support the work of third parties, but rather invests exclusively in self-initiated projects. According to its own statements, it serves the common good and is committed to the highest level of neutrality.
However, this neutrality has often been questioned in the past. Former SPD politician Albrecht Müller accused the Bertelsmann think tank of one-sidedly representing a neoliberal ideology and the interests of business. The journalist Harald Schumann analyzed that this would be reflected in the foundation’s relevant recommendations, which often aimed to design the areas of life examined more closely according to market economy competition criteria.
In addition, the foundation’s field of activity goes far beyond an advisory function, accused Frank Böckelmann, journalist and author of a book about the Bertelsmann Group. The foundation would have a direct influence on politics through targeted agreements.
However, the foundation denies any direct influence. “Our aim is to present studies that are technically and methodologically unassailable, and we can do that. But we also always have a clear standpoint from which we make suggestions based on the study results. We have no idea whether politicians will follow our suggestions influence,” explains Andreas Muhs, communications manager at the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Study looks immediate Need for action
Nevertheless, there are chances for “noticeable” improvements by 2030. However, immediate action must be taken to achieve this. In the East German states, due to the declining number of children, the analysis believes that it is possible to align the staffing ratio with the West level, as well as to cover the space requirements. However, the prerequisite: “For all eastern federal states, the current daycare staff must not be laid off and new skilled workers must even be recruited.”
It could become more difficult for most West German states to achieve their goals by 2030 in terms of meeting space requirements and personnel ratios. It is important to increase the pace of expansion. Things tend to look more positive in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
Less daycare opening times as a solution?
As a short-term solution, the foundation suggests, among other things, relieving the educational staff of administrative tasks and reducing daycare opening times in some federal states. “This is undoubtedly a drastic measure that should only be taken individually and in close coordination between the municipality, the provider and parents,” said Stein. “But the daycare crisis has progressed to such an extent that new answers are needed.” For long-term improvements by 2030, better working conditions for carers would have to be created, among other things.
The foundation has published the detailed calculations in the “State Monitoring of Early Childhood Education Systems” and in the “Skilled Worker Radar for Daycare and Primary Schools”. The basis is, among other things, data from the official child and youth welfare statistics as of March 1st as well as the results of our own regular survey of all responsible state ministries.