Concerned parents do not know what to do with their offspring: Weilheim after-school care group is threatened with closure

Created: 02/12/2022, 10:00 am

By: Rafael Sala

Not enthusiastic about the planned closure of the after-school care group in the "House for Children": (back from left) Karsten Serfling, Dinah Schweiger, Mathias Dollinger with the children (from left) Mila and Annamaria.

"Horror and incomprehension" at the parents' association © Rafael Sala

The after-school care group of the Evangelical parish in Weilheim is probably on the verge of collapse.

The plan is to phase out operations at the turn of the 2022/2023 school year.

Bad news for the parents concerned.

Weilheim – The after-school care group in the “House for Children” in western Weilheim has long been a problem child for the Evangelical-Lutheran church community.

The Am Wehr 2 facility has so far only been able to survive because it depended and continues to depend on subsidies from the much more profitable kindergarten and crèche groups.

One thing was always certain: the after-school care center is an integral part of an overall educational concept, and its importance is not questioned.

But now he turns out to be a shaky candidate.

All signs indicate that the current group of 23 children will soon be a thing of the past.

"Everything looks like the group will expire on August 31, 2023," confirmed Sabine Nagel, pastor and executive representative of the sponsoring association, the rumors that have been circulating for several weeks.

This offer is no longer economically viable.

"It's just difficult."

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.)

discussions in full swing

However, nothing has been decided yet.

She knows about the sensitivity of the topic and can understand the affected and now deeply concerned parents, said the pastor.

That is exactly why the church committee will deal with it intensively in its next meeting on Thursday, February 17th.

The discussions are in full swing, now it's a matter of looking for and finding solutions.

She assesses the overall situation in the district town as optimistic, construction activities are in full swing: "A lot is developing both in Kanalstraße and at Öferl.

I'm sure that such facilities will also be created there.” In any case, the church community will fully support it.

Decision "not at all understandable"

For many parents, that is cold consolation.

They are concerned that they will no longer be able to place their children in a care facility from the summer of 2023.

Most of them work full-time and, in their own words, depend on such an opportunity.

Karsten Serfling, chairman of the parents' council, speaks of "horror and incomprehension".

For the entire children's home family, the decision was "not at all understandable".

He himself has a five-year-old son who is housed in the group and will start primary school next year.

Finding another place is difficult if not impossible in the short time available.

He appreciates the evangelical institution very much.

It is led in an excellent pedagogical manner and is a place of trust.

Dinah Schweiger, whose daughter is in second grade and attends after-school care, sees it similarly.

She feels very comfortable there, says the married mother of two children: "It's family, you know each other."

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.)

Financial problems complicate situation

But why is the topic of "closure" coming up at this point in time?

Nagel does not really want to share the assessment that the need for after-school care is enormous.

The booking times have decreased in recent months, the children are no longer picked up at 6 p.m., but at 4 p.m.

That means even less money in an already tense situation: "Financially, it's just too much to shoulder." However, she wants to help the affected parents as best she can and look for other solutions.

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