Corona virus blocks children from daycare centers - parents have to continue paying
- Coronavirus promotes stockpiling.
- The children are in the house day and night.
- The daycare centers are closed and the parents are annoyed.
- The fees are still due.
Bright sunshine and blue sky - but the youngsters are raging loudly right through the home office. Because the playgrounds are closed. Especially the kindergartens and schools. It's been like this in Bavaria since March 20th. Even if some nerve costumes are slowly getting thinner, an end to the state of emergency is not in sight. Even after the Easter holidays, the exit restrictions will continue until April 20. Expected. The corona virus turns everything upside down. Also the principle of money for performance.
Corona virus: Parents continue to pay fees
After all, parents still pay fees for kindergartens, crèches and day care centers. Although their offspring are not looked after there, they are not even allowed to go there. Only those who practice a systemically relevant profession are currently entitled to childcare. So doctors, nurses, police, rescue and fire fighters, energy suppliers, telecommunications experts, food producers and suppliers, bank employees, journalists, politicians and administrators in crisis teams. At the request of our editorial team, the Bavarian Ministry of Family Affairs announced the following: “Currently, 12,220 children in Bavaria are cared for in our facilities as part of emergency care. That is 1.99% of the children who receive regular care ”(as of April 7, 2020).
And what about the childcare workers? Even in the Corona crisis, they have to pay their rent, shop and use insurance. The sponsors of the childcare facilities continue to finance their salary. For many, it is already tight, especially when you take into account the economic performance of the teachers. They have very different employers, depending on who is the institution. This includes cities, municipalities, churches and private associations. The most important sponsors in Bavaria, however, are associations such as the BRK (Bavarian Red Cross), the Diakonie or the Johanniter.
Coronavirus: Big differences in Bavaria
2090 different providers run 8431 daycare centers in Bavaria. That doesn't make things easier in times of the Corona crisis.
Because there are differences. Big differences. The rich city of Munich, as the operator of urban kindergartens, is currently waiving the parents' fees. But not every municipality can afford that, even if childcare is currently falling flat everywhere. On average, fees for kindergartens and day care centers cover only a fraction of the costs, around 25 percent.
This is also the most important reason why charities such as the BRK and AWO do not want to or cannot easily waive the fees. Because the costs for the already urgently needed staff continue to run. Due to poor earning potential and high workload, there have long been far too few childcare workers, even before Corona. Quite apart from the real estate, which is now also to be maintained - this is also not free.
Coronavirus: Free State keeps itself covered
To date, the Free State has kept itself covered in the discussion about fees for closed kindergartens.
In response to a written request from our editorial team, a representative of the Bavarian Ministry of Family Affairs wrote: "If the childcare contract or municipal statute does not contain any effectively agreed regulations, the law stipulates that if the service is not provided, the entitlement to payment of the parents' contributions ceases to apply." The Ministry cannot quantify fees so far. However, it is pointed out that the contribution subsidy for kindergarten time according to Art. 23 Para. 3 BayKiBiG continues to flow even if no or reduced parental contributions are charged due to the entry bans. That also applies to crèche money. Eligible parents can apply for relief up to 100 euros per month per child. "In addition, families receive the Bavarian family allowance of 250 euros per month for every child in the second and third years of life, and even 300 euros per month for the third child. For parents who receive the parental contribution for a day-care center or day care is not financially reasonable, the youth welfare office will take over the youth welfare office upon request. " In addition, the sponsors of daycare centers continue to receive state funding despite the prohibitions on entry, according to the Bavarian Ministry of Family Affairs.
Rubric list picture: © dpa - Bildfunk
