Daycare staff: Murnau takes money in hand

Created: 12/11/2022 7:06 p.m

By: Peter Reinbold

Sought-after staff: educators in day-care centers are in demand.

© mm archive

The Murnau politicians have recognized the signs of the times and are investing in staff for the day-care centers.

Prospective educators should be employed by the market in the future and receive a training allowance for the first time.

This is the most important point of a catalog of measures that the main management committee has launched.

Murnau

– Working groups, which are often set up when you don't know what to do, sometimes produce results that can turn out to be the solution to a problem.

At a meeting of representatives of the town hall administration and municipal councils with the providers of crèches, day-care centers and after-school care facilities in the village on November 21st, the deficits were named and possible ways out of the dilemma that there are massively too few staff in the facilities, discussed.

Most of them, such as the remuneration of the trainees, the lowering of the employment key - it is planned that a kindergarten teacher should look after fewer children in the future - and a common housing pool, found the approval of the members of the main management committee.

"It's all very much going in the right direction," said Veronika Jones-Gilch.

The spokeswoman for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen calls for the measures to be implemented “quickly so that we can achieve relaxation”.

Welf Probst (Free Voters) and Phillip Zoepf (More Movement) also liked the measures.

"These are points that can lead to success," said Probst.

Zoepf is of the opinion "that they will take effect in the long term".

Wolfgang Küpper (ÖDP/Bürgerforum) sees payment as the key to being able to recruit new staff and young women and men for the profession of educator or nanny.

"It's a pound" with which you can grow.

It represents a paradigm shift, because up to now prospective educators have not received any remuneration.

The paths that Murnau is treading are completely new.

In the future, the trainees will be employed by the market and should complete their practical time in the municipal day care center Drachennest or in the facility of another provider.

According to Nina Herweck-Bockhorni, deputy manager of the town hall administration, two positions are planned for 2023.

“But we also take more – if possible.

For the duration of the training, which lasts three or four years depending on the school leaving certificate, the municipality incurs costs of almost 62,000 euros per trainee.

According to Mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP/Bürgerforum), as another bonus to bind the employees to Murnau, there is a takeover guarantee for at least one year.

"The training model has charm," says Jones-Gilch, but it is wishful thinking "that something changes quickly".

However, Beuting does not want to spare any effort and certainly no expense so that something changes for the better in terms of personnel.

The committee's decision is intended to form the basis for further talks with daycare providers.

"They have to go this route," says Beuting.

Ultimately, the municipal council has the last word in this matter, because of the amount of costs,

In order to keep the amount within limits and not let the burdens for the budgets in the coming years get out of hand, the mayor and administration had already considered increasing the childcare fees for the kindergarten year 2023.

A suggestion that was met with widespread rejection by the municipal councils and which was therefore (initially) dropped from the package of measures.

"We should be careful with that," said CSU man Josef Bierling, which should not be the first step.

Jones-Gilch also refused a flat-rate increase: "An income-related model would be fairer." Only Probst said that there would be "no way around an increase".

The monthly fees for attending the community kindergarten Drachennest are currently between 98 and 135 euros, depending on the booking period.