As of: March 16, 2024, 3:42 p.m
By: Theresa Kuchler
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In the “Sonnenblume” kindergarten in Schwabsoien, the fees for childcare have so far been moderate.
Because of the high deficit, that now has to change.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
For a long time, parents in Schwabsoien were able to look after their children comparatively cheaply.
That is now changing: the municipality must increase the fees for kindergarten and crèche – and significantly.
Schwabsoien – The community has to do something.
The deficit in the “Sunflower” kindergarten in Schwabsoien is getting bigger and costs are rising faster than expected.
Schwabsoien has to spend 25 percent more this year on staff alone than two years ago.
Overall, the community institution is currently making a loss of 200,000 euros, said Manfred Schmid at the most recent meeting of the local council.
“We have to do something clear.”
The mayor admitted that the previous cost calculations did not work out.
It was only in 2021 that the municipality decided to increase kindergarten fees by 2.5 percent every year in order to offset rising costs little by little.
A far too low approach, as is clear today.
“The market and inflation have overtaken us,” said Schmid.
The consequence: Parents will have to pay significantly more from September.
“It won’t create a good atmosphere, but it won’t help.”
Increase in kindergarten fees in Schwabsoien: Mayor suggested three variants
The fee rates for child care in Schwabsoien are currently very low - especially in kindergarten.
For four to five hours of care per week, the cost is currently around 98 euros per month.
Because the Free State subsidizes 100 euros for regular childcare, there are parents who currently don't have to pay anything for childcare in kindergarten.
For the daycare center, where there is no subsidy and which is inherently more expensive because of the higher care costs, parents currently pay just under 197 euros for four to five hours on five days.
At the meeting, no one questioned the fact that fees need to rise - on the contrary.
The councils admitted that they had failed to respond to the growing deficit earlier and had charged too little for mainstream childcare.
However, there was a need for discussion about what the increase should look like from the next kindergarten year.
The mayor suggested three options: either you increase the fees for kindergarten and crèche by a flat rate of 25 percent, or you use the figures from the surrounding communities as a guide.
Schmid used the facilities in Ingenried as well as Schwabbruck and Altenstadt as comparison values, where the fees also recently had to be increased.
An increase is then “very clear,” said Schmid, especially in the area of regular children.
“We have to be aware of that.”
Family discount for parents with more than one child as a “social aspect”
Christoph Obermeier could have imagined a completely separate sentence, apart from the VG communities.
He fears that parents could send their children to nearby communities for care if their own kindergarten is too expensive.
Norbert Schmid, among others, saw it differently, who spoke out in favor of fees like those in Schwabbruck and Altenstadt.
For regular child care for four to five hours a day, the cost is 160 euros - which means parents still have to pay 60 euros a month because of the state subsidy.
“I assume that 60 euros is affordable for the majority,” said the local council.
As a “social aspect”, there is also the option of a family discount, which gives parents with two or more children discounts.
Christian Stögbauer suggested that particularly burdened families could submit a hardship application.
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Meanwhile, Bernhard Starker and Wolfgang Scholz recalled that a few years ago people had to charge significantly more money for childcare.
“The fees were reduced within a decade,” said Scholz.
The majority of nine councilors ultimately voted to take over the fees from Schwabbruck and Altenstadt.
There will be a family discount of 50 euros for parents who have more than one child.
The community provides sponsorship
The municipality of Schwabsoien wants to hand over ownership of the “Sonnenblume” kindergarten.
Mayor Manfred Schmid recently announced this decision, which the committee wants to make in a non-public meeting, to the committee.
“We can no longer handle this as a community,” he said.
Kinderhilfe Oberland is to become the new provider.
The head of the town hall hopes that the takeover will bring more peace to the facility, which has been experiencing repeated staff changes and care bottlenecks for some time.