As of: March 27, 2024, 6:24 a.m
By: Felicitas Breschendorf
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Sick notes and terminations are increasing in daycare centers.
In the end, overwhelmed parents suffer, but so does the children's education.
There are too many children with fewer and fewer educators.
“The shortage of skilled workers makes everyday life in daycare centers difficult,” says Barbara Nolte.
She is the daycare center manager and speaker for educators at the Association for Education and Upbringing (VBE).
According to their own statements, over half of the daycare center managers work understaffed 20 percent of the time, which is ten percent more than last year.
In one in seven daycare centers, there are not enough staff working 60 percent of the time.
These are the results of a new study by the German Kita Management Congress (DKLK), in which the VBE was also involved.
According to the DKLK study, instead of three children, one specialist looks after an average of over five children.
(Symbolic image) © xserrnovikx/ Imago
A shortage of skilled workers puts a strain on educators – with consequences
According to Nolte, educators hardly have any time left to properly train themselves.
Logical: There is usually no one on site who can replace them in the meantime.
Instead, specialists would have to take on additional services to replace the missing staff.
84 percent of daycare center managers stated in the DKLK study that the staff shortage had worsened in the past year.
This affects the private life and health of the educators.
Nolte says: “In some cases, skilled workers no longer get really healthy.
They don’t want to stay at home with a guilty conscience and don’t want to put additional strain on their colleagues at the facility.”
Not everyone can withstand the enormous pressure.
The association has been observing for some time that sick leave in daycare centers is increasing.
Layoffs are also increasing.
“We have educators who leave because they ask themselves: Am I still meeting my educational standards?
Or colleagues who move more quickly because they hope to find better conditions in their next job,” says Nolte.
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“Parents in urgent need of care” suffer from emergency plans
Parents also notice the lack of staff.
That's why some people support the facilities, as Nolte emphasizes.
For example, they are prepared to look after the child at home if there is a shortage of staff.
Of course, not every parent can afford this - especially if both legal guardians work full time.
“There are parents who urgently need care but can only send their children on certain days or times thanks to emergency plans,” says Nolte.
She suggests that there are sometimes complaints or negative feedback.
“The parents’ displeasure is understandable and ultimately it is always the local professionals who have to deal with the parents and negotiate solutions.”
Association calls for better pay and recruitment campaigns
In addition to parents and educators, the staff shortage particularly affects those who the daycare center is primarily supposed to be about: the children.
“Educational opportunities are not guaranteed in this way,” warns the VBE speaker.
For example, important educational projects would have to be canceled due to the lack of personnel.
There are also fewer trips that help with children's development.
The staff shortages are not “conducive to the teacher-child bond”.
The VBE therefore calls for personnel recruitment campaigns supported by the federal, state and local governments, as well as appropriate pay for skilled workers.