Day care centers: Lenggries is turning the screw on fees

Created: 06/30/2022, 17:00

By: Veronika Ahn-Tauchnitz

The kindergarten fees in Lenggries are increasing significantly.

(symbol photo) © Uwe Anspach / dpa

In Lenggries, the parents' contributions for the crèche and kindergarten will be increased significantly.

Not everyone on the council wanted to support the decision.

Lenggries – In its meeting on Monday, the Lenggries municipal council decided to increase the kindergarten fees.

In the end, however, not all councils wanted to support this decision.

For some, the jumps are too big.

The topic had already been discussed in advance in the main committee.

Since 2011, the annual deficit of municipal day-care centers has more than doubled.

Last year, the municipality was left with 1.4 million euros.

A survey of the other district municipalities also showed that Lenggries' parental contributions are well below the district average - also because the municipality last adjusted the fees ten years ago.

With a care time of four to five hours per day in the kindergarten, the other municipalities charge an average of 120 euros, in Lenggries it is only 80 euros.

There is a similar picture with the cribs.

If an average of 243 euros is due for four to five hours in the surrounding communities, it is 140 euros in Lenggries.

Parents have to pay more for kindergarten in Lenggries

Now the posts are adjusted.

For four to five hours of care in the kindergarten, 120 euros should be due.

It continues in 12-euro steps.

The maximum care time of nine to ten hours costs 180 euros.

Double the rate is charged for children in crèches.

However, the Free State automatically gives 100 euros per month for each kindergarten child, so that only a small part of the increase goes to the parents.

In addition, since 2020 there has been a Bavarian crèche allowance, which must be applied for and for which certain income limits apply.

Roman Haehl (Greens) could understand why it will not work without an increase.

"But I think the jumps are too big." Energy costs, food prices - many things are increasing and burden families.

"And now that's coming too," said Haehl.

SPD faction leader Tobias Raphelt saw it similarly.

“It is a difficult time for many families.

I know the increase is necessary, but it bothers me a bit that it is so high.”

Fee hike cuts municipality deficit by 10 percent

Mayor Stefan Klaffenbacher (FWG) asked to take a closer look.

Because of the new kindergarten fees, only a small part stays with the parents.

More than 80 percent would not pay anything for the care thanks to the state subsidy and would only be able to pay 20 euros a month in the future.

"Until the state subsidy was introduced in 2018, the parents paid 80 euros a month." And the municipality is still in the middle when it comes to the amount of the contributions compared to other municipalities.

"It's not overpriced."

For some families, 20 euros per month is quite a lot, Nadia Tretter (Greens) objected.

"The increase is too drastic for me." Sabine Gerg (SPD) also feared that some parents whose children are in good hands in the daycare center will forego childcare in the future if it costs money.

CSU faction leader Josef Wasensteiner, on the other hand, expects parents to think more carefully about whether and how long the child really needs to be cared for.

It is also not the case that the community will become rich through the increase, remarked Elisabeth Ertl (CSU).

"We're only reducing the deficit by ten percent."

Booking of kindergarten meals via app

The increase was decided against the votes of Tretter, Haehl, Raphelt and Gerg.

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There is also a change in the booking and payment of lunch.

Both are currently carried out by the staff of the day-care centers and involve some effort.

In addition, the system is not very flexible.

In future, parents will book via the “Kitafino” app.

There is an administration fee of 20 cents per booking, but a meal can also be canceled at short notice if the child is ill, for example, according to Treasurer Michael Little.

You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.