Shortage of skilled workers in daycare centers: new study reveals catastrophic consequences

Daycare centers in Baden-Württemberg lack qualified specialists. This is confirmed by a Bertelsmann study and draws attention to the catastrophic consequences.  

• New Bertelsmann study shows: every second daycare center in Baden-Württemberg is understaffed.
• In many daycare centers in Baden-Württemberg , lay people replace the non-existent specialists in care.
• The shortage of skilled workers in daycare centers affects the quality of childcare in Baden-Württemberg .

Baden-Württemberg: Chronic shortage of skilled workers in daycare centers is becoming a problem

According to the latest Bertelsmann study , childcare is largely guaranteed in Baden-Württemberg . Unfortunately, it is also a reality that every second daycare center in Baden-Württemberg has too few staff. This in turn affects the group size and ultimately also the quality of the upbringing. Because it has to be clear: laypeople or, in general, all career changers cannotReplace educational staff with several years of training in a daycare center .

Daniela Hunzinger from the day care center “KinderArche” in Heilbronn knows that too , and is desperately looking for staff herself. "Without laypeople, we could not maintain our day-care center here in Heilbronn ," she explains in an interview with echo24.de * about the current situation. It is becoming more and more difficult to find qualified specialists, especially in all-day care . On the one hand, because the market is empty, on the other hand, because qualified personnel is increasingly being poached.

Baden-Württemberg: Skilled workers in daycare centers with catastrophic effects

Hunzinger: "It is an open secret that private day-care facilities or day-care centers with limited opening times are more attractive for educational specialists than full-day operations." Often times , the pay is even better than in day-care centers with all-day care , where employees also work in shifts have to. In this respect, there is the assumption that all-day businesses in particular are pulling the study down and are particularly affected by the shortage of skilled workers .

This goes hand in hand with the group size in daycare centers . The Bertelsmann study says: "According to scientific recommendations, groups for younger children should not include more than twelve children , and for older children no more than 18." Groups that are too large are stressful for children and professionals. For Baden-Württemberg , according to the study, this means that around 43 percent of all officially recorded daycare groups are too large. But how can this be prevented when there is simply a lack of staff?

Baden-Württemberg: What can be done about the shortage of skilled workers in daycare centers?

At the moment it seems to be more important in political circles to guarantee the care in Baden-Württemberg itself. Even if that means that the quality of the support falls by the wayside for the time being. Hunzinger: “But that cannot be a permanent solution for the daycare centers .” Although she does not have any means for an acute solution at hand, measures such as better pay for the skilled workers in daycare centers must be implemented consistently. Otherwise the situation could get worse.

For three out of four children in Germany, the conditions in their #Kita are not suitable for children. The reason: There is still a lack of educational staff, and the existing daycare staff is not always equally qualified. (fw) https://t.co/dex8aoNAdp

Because at some point it could happen that there are rooms for childcare in Baden-Württemberg , but there is a lack of staff. Hunzinger: "Even now, there are conditions in childcare like in nursing, where there is a need and space, but there is a lack of qualified specialists ." And just like the shortage of specialists in nursing *, the price for the lack of educational professionals in daycare centers . Because in the end it costs the quality.

Baden-Württemberg: Solutions for the shortage of daycare specialists - where is the problem?

Daycare centers in Baden-Württemberg lack the skilled workers. But why is it felt that nothing is done?

© Bernd Thissen / dpa

Also Kathrin Bock Famulla , the education expert of the Bertelsmann Foundation , see * the risk of declining quality of care in the skills shortage. She therefore suggests using more housekeeping and administrative staff to relieve the skilled workers in daycare centers . The only problem here is that in day-care centers, care and administration can often not be separated one hundred percent. In other words: You often need contact and experience for administrative tasks.

Hunzinger: "We cannot conjure up qualified personnel ." It is all the more important to set the course now. Be it through better pay or more attractive training. And the care situation in the coronavirus pandemic in Baden-Württemberg * showed how essential good childcare is. So shouldn't high-quality care also have priority? * echo24.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network.

List of rubric lists: © Bernd Thissen / dpa