Actually, saving is the order of the day in Seeshaupt - but the next issue is already coming up: From 2026, all primary school students will gradually have the right to a childcare place after school ends.
Seeshaupt – The municipality of Seeshaupt urgently needs to get its expenses under control. Treasurer Stefan Jocher made this warning very clear during the budget resolution at the most recent local council meeting (see box). And yet: The municipality will not be able to avoid spending more money - especially in the area of "social security", where, in addition to the senior center, the children's home is particularly important.
In the 2024 budget there is a total loss of 1.3 million euros. And now there is another issue on the horizon: the urgent expansion of kindergarten and school child care.
Kindergarten places could no longer be enough this year
Managing director Georg Bäck explained why this is necessary using a needs analysis. While the municipality of Seeshaupt is well positioned with daycare places and these will probably be “sufficient” in the next few years, there is a problem when it comes to looking after kindergarten children and, above all, school children. As soon as the new kindergarten year 2024/2025 begins, there may no longer be enough places.
And if the construction trailer in which a group from the children's home has found shelter no longer receives an operating license next year, then a group will definitely be missing. The administration's recommendation: At least one additional kindergarten group must be created.
But the problem is even more pressing among primary school children. From 2026 onwards, all first graders throughout Bavaria, and then year after year also the other grades, will have a legal right to a childcare place after school. According to Bäck, the need for afternoon care for school children will increase to up to 80 percent by 2029. Currently, around 60 percent of Seeshaupt primary school children are cared for in the after-school care center. So things will be tight in the coming years.
Considerations in the spirit of the recommended thrift
But there are solutions: Managing Director Bäck explained to the committee several approaches that could be pursued. All considerations were entirely focused on the recommended thrift.
The cheapest option: an open all-day school attached to the primary school. Here responsibility and costs largely lie with the Ministry of Culture; the visit takes place as part of compulsory schooling and the supervisors do not have to be specialists. However, if the after-school care center were expanded, the municipality would pay the deficit. In addition, this form of care is the most expensive - it requires specialist pedagogical staff. There are also other mixed forms that should be considered.
Does the community need “external help”?
Bäck recommended that the local council not commit to a model ad hoc, but rather bring in “external help”. Especially because the costs shouldn't get out of hand. “The fatal thing is that the municipality’s financial strength is so good that it has a negative impact on funding in this area,” says Bäck.
Petra Eberle (GrAS) agreed with this. “We need a professional planner. Because we must not ignore the pedagogical aspects, nor the costs. The question is anyway: What can be implemented?”