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Lunch at school: From 2025, primary school children have a legal right to all-day care (symbol image)
Photo: Franziska Kraufmann / picture alliance / dpa
The federal states receive billions in aid from the federal government for the expansion of all-day care at primary schools.
On Friday, the Federal Council approved the establishment of a special fund totaling 3.5 billion euros from federal funds.
This is intended to finance the implementation of the envisaged legal right to all-day care for primary school children from 2025.
The black-red federal government had agreed on this legal claim in its coalition agreement.
So-called base funds of one billion euros are to be paid in the current year, and another billion in the coming year.
In addition, the federal government wants to provide bonus funds of another 1.5 billion euros, which, however, should only be available to those countries that previously called up basic funds in the corresponding amount in 2020 and 2021.
The procedure is intended to accelerate the expansion of all-day care.
Demand may be 80 percent higher than supply
The aim is to offer eight-hour all-day care five days a week, including reliable lunchtime care and the option of holiday care.
According to the federal government, around half of all primary school children already use all-day programs, although the time is often less extensive.
Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD) also estimates that the demand is significantly higher than the previous offer, at 75 to 80 percent.
This gap should now be closed.
Giffey called on the federal and state governments to come to an agreement this year on the implementation of the legal right to all-day care.
The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Stefan Zierke (SPD), pointed out in the Federal Council that the federal government was spending two billion euros on expanding all-day care in the current legislative period alone.
The corona pandemic shows that greater efforts are required to improve the participation of children and young people: "Every child deserves the same support."
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