The municipality of Unterhaching has not increased the parental contributions for the kindergartens for years. But now that every cent is turned around in the budget consultations, she is asking the families to pay more than before. Depending on the booking time, parents have to pay between 50 and 110 euros more for the care of their children in the community facilities from April onwards. The Greens find it too much and recently voted in the finance committee against the re-enactment of the fee statute. However, the majority was in favor of it.
Childcare is an expensive business for local authorities. Because despite the principle of connectivity, they are burdened with the costs of operating the facilities, a mandatory task for which the expenses for personnel, energy and material costs add up. The community pays 300 euros per child, and that doesn’t even include the building costs. So far, the fee for a place for three to four hours of care was 105 euros, with the Free State of Bavaria covering 100 euros. Now the fee per month is to rise to 155 euros. For six to seven hours it goes up from 135 to 215 euros, the maximum care time of nine to ten hours will cost 275 euros instead of 165 in the future. The determination was based on the surrounding communities, said Mayor Wolfgang Panzer (SPD).
Armin Konetschny from the Greens described the increase as “dramatic”. He does not deny that the current fees are too low, but that was due to “structural errors in recent years”. But now, in a crisis in which everything is becoming more expensive, in which families also have to pay more for heating, more for groceries and more for household necessities, an increase of 1,000 percent is unacceptable. In the long term, the municipality must reduce the costs, but the citizens should not be overburdened. However, Astrid Abou El Ela from the Department for Care and Education tried to allay the concerns. The feedback from the parents’ councils has shown that there is a willingness to pay more. It is also an appreciation of the work if the contribution is adjusted.