Unequal daycare care: Poverty burdens children in Hesse!

Unequal daycare care: Poverty burdens children in Hesse!

A current study by the Institute of German Economy (IW) and the Max Planck Institute for Social Research (MPIFG) brings to light alarming results on daycare care in the five largest cities of Hesse. Offenbach does particularly poorly compared to other cities, while Frankfurt is one of the best examples of daycare care among the important cities in Germany. As part of its investigation, the IW analyzed the daycare places in over 2,600 districts of 54 major German cities and raises claims on the unequal distribution in relation to the social status of the districts.

According to the study, the situation in poorer districts is worrying. In Frankfurt, 72 children come to an “accessible” daycare center that can be reached by car within five minutes. In Offenbach, where the daycare supply is one of the ten worst in Germany, this value is 141 children. In other Hessian cities such as Wiesbaden, Kassel and Darmstadt, the number of children is located on a daycare center between 86 and 99.

inequality in supply

The study also shows that districts with a high proportion of social welfare recipients have poorer daycare supplies. It has been found that freelancers are increasingly concentrating their offer in wealthier areas, which leads to an unequal distribution of daycare centers. According to the results, institutions with denominational providers are better represented in wealthy districts than on the city average.

The data base of the analysis comes from official family structure data and information about state dependencies. The study, which bears the title "Inequalities of local daycare care", illustrates that despite an enormous expansion in daycare places after the legally binding claim for a place from two years in 2013, the increasing demand could not be satisfied. It was estimated that 300,000 children have not been able to find a day care center.

Current challenges in Offenbach

The situation in Offenbach is particularly pressing. Around 41,000 daycare places were missing in Hesse in 2023. This not only raises questions about educational justice, but also affects the future development of the city and its residents. It remains unclear how these challenges can be tackled at short notice, while the inequalities in the daycare situation continue to exist. The inequality of daycare supply leads to an increased social division that becomes a reality for many families in disadvantaged districts.

Overall, the study shows that the challenges in early childhood education are deeply rooted in the social structures of the cities. In order to counteract the disadvantages in poorer quarters, a political initiative is required that re-evaluate the distribution of the daycare places and the financial framework for their operation.

For more information on these results, you can hessenschau.de and consult the Süddeutsche Zeitung provides comprehensive information on this topic.