Daycare centers in Unterensingen: Emergency care massively restricts families!

Daycare centers in Unterensingen: Emergency care massively restricts families!

At the Brückenstraße daycare center in Unterensingen, there is an increasing need for emergency care due to a lack of staff. In recent months, the facility has frequently informed parents about short-term changes in care times, often late in the evening or early in the morning. This has led to the municipality deciding to limit the daycare's opening times. The daycare team struggles with high levels of teacher absenteeism, which has a direct impact on the quality of care.

Alex Liefermann and his partner are under immense pressure due to the current situation. Her son Liam often has to stay at home two days a week because the daycare center cannot offer care. While the mother works in retail, home office is not possible for her. Liefermann, who works freelance in the media industry, is forced to cancel orders. The financial burden on the family is estimated to be between 300 and 500 euros less per month.

Acute staff shortage in daycare centers

The lack of staff in daycare centers is a widespread problem. Many facilities are reducing their childcare hours or closing groups, which greatly affects parents who often cannot find alternatives. Danny Eggert and Christin Dieckhöfer are also affected by these challenges. There are only ten emergency care places available in their daycare center, which further exacerbates the situation.

Educators express frustration with the ongoing problems as they are unable to meet their educational needs. Ann-Christin Schlosza, an educator, reported on the high levels of stress caused by the lack of staff. According to Diakonie Düsseldorf, there is a lack of around 80 qualified full-time employees in the 48 facilities, which is exacerbating the situation.

Policy measures and outlook

CEO Michael Schmidt is in favor of a temporary lowering of personnel standards due to the shortage of skilled workers, which is seen as a temporary solution. Changes to the law are already being planned in Lower Saxony that will make it possible to integrate less qualified staff into care. In North Rhine-Westphalia, three years of training for educators is currently required by law, which is slowing down the closing of the gaps.

In addition, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus is presenting a strategy paper aimed at attracting more skilled workers. It is estimated that there is a shortage of up to 90,000 educators nationwide. Paus plans to finance retraining for new educators and support the recruitment of foreign specialists. Family father Liefermann is urgently calling for measures to relieve the burden on the affected families and to improve the quality of care in daycare centers.

The current situation challenges everyone involved – from educators to parents to political decision-makers. Measures are necessary to finally ensure reliable care for the children and to relieve the burden on families.

For further information about the problem of staff shortages in daycare centers, please visit the articles on ntz.de and tagesschau.de.