Crisis in day care: less inquiries and rising costs!

Crisis in day care: less inquiries and rising costs!

The future of day care in the Wetteraukreis is on the brink. Fewer and fewer inquiries come in with the nannies, while the competition is increasing sharply through daycare centers. According to a report of the fnp , the childminders in the region suffer from higher costs and an increasingly insecure financial support. Nadine Zurawski, who has been a childminder in Glashütten for 18 years, sees this with concern because the inquiries about dailyplaces last year decreased significantly.

Ronja Badej, who works in Ortenberg, currently has two free places, which underlines the current situation. The Wetteraukreis confirms this decline in early childhood care and names the low -birth vintage 2023 as the main cause of worrying development. At the same time, the parents' contributions were increased, while the financial support for childminders was reduced.

inequalities and financial challenges

A central point of dispute among child minders is the unequal remuneration, which varies greatly depending on the place of residence. This inequality causes resentment and frustration. In more expensive residential areas, child minders receive higher reimbursements for material costs than in cheaper regions. There are funding and refunds, but these are often not sufficient. The Federal Administrative Court recently decided that material costs have to be adjusted regionally, which gives a certain hope of improvement.

Additional pressure, the childminders experience due to the allocation of space in daycare centers, where the places have to be accepted immediately. This competitive situation means that day care is less attractive, especially when daycare centers offer cheaper care options. Many child minders therefore want equality with the daycare centers and a higher social appreciation of their work.

potential of day care

The day care for the day care, which represents a family -related form of care, is particularly suitable for children under the age of three. It enables initial social experiences and supports the compatibility of family and work. As a rule, a maximum of five foreign children are looked after at the same time, which enables individual care in a manageable framework. This is one of the central features that could keep childhood day care in the region competitive.

The regional day care agencies, including the AWO Perpections gGmbH and the Diakonisches Werk Wetterau, are responsible for the mediation. These ensure that only qualified day care workers with corresponding experience and permission are imparted according to § 43 SGB VIII. In Karben, for example, there is additional support from the Mothers and Family Center Karben e.v.

With a new plan to support innovative models in day care, the Wetteraukreis tries to counter the decline in inquiries. This includes, for example, mergers of day parents or the rental of external rooms for care.

What remains is the urgent need for changes in the area of ​​financial support and the recognition of day care as an equivalent care option alongside daycare centers. Day care in the Wetteraukreis can only have a viable future through a fairer design of the framework conditions.

Overall, child day care faces major challenges, but also with opportunities that need to be used to meet the needs of families.