Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Franziska Giffey: "Millions of children like to go to their daycare center and are well looked after and supported there"
Photo:Bildgehege / imago images / Bildgehege
"It is not right to sow serious doubts about child-friendly care in day-care centers": Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey has rejected the criticism of a Bertelsmann study on day-care center quality. In the daycare centers, educators did an excellent and child-friendly job every day, explained the SPD politician. "This can not only be determined by the care key."
In its analysis, the Bertelsmann Foundation criticized the fact that daycare centers could not or only to a limited extent implement their educational mandate in the majority of the institutions due to poor staffing ratios and too large groups. An additional survey of educational professionals confirmed the results of the study.
"Millions of children like to go to their daycare center and are well looked after and supported there," said Giffey. She also referred to the around 5.5 billion euros that are made available to the countries through the so-called Good Kita Act for quality improvements and lower fees. "11 out of 16 federal states are relying on the further improvement of the personnel ratio - and that is already having an effect," she explained.
Improvements "at a snail's pace"
The German Children's Fund, on the other hand, criticized the fact that the improvement of the personnel key was "only progressing at a snail's pace". More financial resources and national minimum quality standards are needed. Helmut Dedy, General Manager of the German Association of Cities, also called for federal funds beyond 2022 for the further expansion of the daycare center. The left in the Bundestag called for an immediate program for more daycare staff.
The unions also complained about the shortage of staff in the daycare centers. The Deputy Head of the German Trade Union Confederation, Elke Hannack, called for a "specialist offensive from the federal, state and local levels". The education and science union called for "a quality boost". The Verdi chairwoman Christine Behle pointed out that the formation of smaller groups and the staff shortages due to the corona pandemic are currently leading to an even greater need for skilled workers.
The Paritätische Gesamtverband called for an upgrade of the teaching profession. Daycare centers are "not mass detention centers, but places of early childhood education". The professional association of paediatricians warned that in daycare centers with too few staff, developmental weaknesses are often recognized too late.
Icon: The mirrorsun / dpa / AFP
