Daycare center in Cölpin closes: 70 children are looking for a new home!

Daycare center in Cölpin closes: 70 children are looking for a new home!

In Cölpin near Neubrandenburg there is an unfortunate change at the end of the year: the local daycare center (Kita) has to close. The reason for this is that the operating license issued by the Mecklenburg Lake District was not extended. By then, around 70 children will be attending the daycare center, who will now have to be accommodated in other facilities in the Neubrandenburg area. Unfortunately, these measures are necessary because serious construction defects and inadequate fire protection measures were identified. A planned attempt at restructuring failed due to high costs and a large number of bureaucratic requirements, which made the situation even more difficult for those affected. The operator of this daycare center is the youth and social welfare office, which now faces a significant challenge in clarifying the concerns of parents and children. This is reported by the daily news.

However, the closure in Cölpin is not the only warning sign in the current care landscape. On May 15, 2025, the “Kita-Kollaps” action day took place in Brandenburg, where parents, educators and daycare providers drew attention to the grievances. Organized by Robert Witzsche, dissatisfaction with the conditions in many crèches and kindergartens was loudly expressed. The increasing need for care coupled with an insufficient number of educators is a massive problem - the current care ratio for crèches is one specialist for every 4.25 children, while in kindergarten it is one for every 10 children. From the perspective of those involved, a care ratio of 1 to 3 for children under three and 1 to 6 for older children would be better. There is also criticism of the budget planning of the SPD/BSW coalition; the austerity measures promised could even endanger 40 jobs in Cottbus. These developments clearly show that education in daycare is a topic that needs to be considered comprehensively, as rbb24.de describes in detail.

Care situation in Berlin daycare centers

A look beyond national borders shows that similar problems are currently being discussed in Berlin. The second “Daycare Round Table” is coming up soon, and different assessments of the care situation are expected. The daycare company City reports a positive personnel situation, with 94 percent of the daycare centers meeting the legal requirements for children under three. Nevertheless, the desire for improvements remains: The association of small and medium-sized daycare centers has emphasized that the feedback from specialists on overload must be taken seriously. The care ratio in Berlin is currently 1 to 5.1 for children under three and 1 to 7.3 for older children. The discussion about whether these standards can be met remains exciting and important.

Despite the partly positive news from Berlin, the challenges here remain great. Waves of illness often lead to more skilled workers being absent, which in turn puts additional strain on the care situation. The association is already calling for the closing days to be increased to ease the burden on daycare teams. In summary, it can be said that the situation in daycare centers - no matter where in Germany - has become a central issue that urgently belongs on the agenda. In view of the existing problems with the daycare closure in Cölpin and the tense situation in Brandenburg and Berlin, it is clear that it is time to find solutions that do justice to both children and educators.