They are in the shadow of the daycare centers: childminders.
How is emergency care actually regulated?
And what are the hurdles caused by the pandemic?
The FT asked.
Freising
- Most preschoolers attend daycare.
But in Freising there are also 135 boys and girls who are looked after by day parents.
How is emergency care regulated in these cases?
The FT asked Susanne Müller, the pedagogical director of the day care center in Freising, and came across a difficult topic.
Ms. Müller, how many child minders are there currently in Freising?
We currently have 32 active child minders and one child minder who look after a total of 135 day children, mainly between one and three years of age.
Most of them take care of their families at home.
And the others?
There are also three large day care centers.
These are care centers in separately rented rooms with two child minders and eight to ten children.
The child minders are generally freelance.
In addition, there are four employees in our substitute care center “Kinderstube” who are employed by the daycare center.
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Susanne Müller Head of the childcare center: "No childminder stopped working because of Corona."
© Photo Max Werkmeister
Are there childminders who have stopped or paused due to corona - for example because they are high-risk patients or were fundamentally afraid of infection?
No childminder has stopped working due to Corona, but there are a few care centers that have temporarily closed for personal reasons due to Corona.
Is the care of children with child minders also tied to the incidence 100?
Yes.
If the value is below 100, normal care takes place.
If it is over 100, only emergency care may be offered.
The prerequisites for using emergency care are the same as in a daycare center.
For example: Both parents are employed and have no other option to look after their child.
Does emergency care then also take place with the childminder or separately?
In principle, the booked childminder offers emergency care from an incidence value of 100, so that nothing changes for the children.
However, if the childminder is absent, for example because she is sick herself, the parents can, if they are entitled to emergency care, fall back on our substitute childcare center.
You speak of diseases. Have there already been corona cases in the care provided by childcare providers?
No, luckily there has not yet been a corona outbreak in a day care center in Freising.
If child minders are sick, for example with diarrhea, fever and the like, they are not allowed to look after them.
Not even if the child minders' own children are ill.
At the moment this also applies to colds.
Due to a possible risk of infection with Corona, there are currently stricter requirements than usual.
What alternatives do parents have who are currently unable to have their children looked after by a childminder?
If parents are not entitled to emergency care, they have to look after their child themselves.
If a child is not cared for at all or for a maximum of five days a month, the families receive the fees for the care back for the month in question.
Do parents accept if they are not allowed to bring their children to emergency care because they do not fall into the grid - or are there major upheavals?
That actually sometimes leads to discussions, especially since the information from the Bavarian Ministry of Family Affairs leaves room for different interpretations.
Very difficult topic!
And what about the earnings of child minders who work as a freelancer: Do they receive full pay even if they cannot look after the full number of children envisaged?
The child minders continue to receive their care allowance in full - provided that they are actually available for any emergency care that may be required.
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