Kita closures in Osterwieck: Parents fight the decision!

Kita closures in Osterwieck: Parents fight the decision!

The daycare centers in Osterwieck are under pressure: On Thursday evening, the city council decided to close the municipal daycare centers in the stage and Rohrsheim in a majority voice. This decision not only ensures disappointment among the parents, but also violent protests in the community. According to a report by mdr , the meeting room was filled to the last place, and numerous citizens have banners clearly. make.

The affected institutions currently look after 11 children in stage and 17 in Rohrsheim. Mayor Dirk Heinemann from the SPD justified the closure with financial bottlenecks and a drastic decline in birth rates: After 90 new births were registered in 2021, it was only 50 in 2024 and this year only 18. This means that the city has a deficit of around two million euros in the care costs annually

protests and signature action

The decision of the city council does not come as a surprise, since a signature campaign with over 2,200 signatures has already been organized in advance in order to protest against the closings. Parents and other citizens are concerned about the possible consequences of the closure. The daycare centers are not only places of care, they play a decisive role in the social and emotional development of the children and in the cohesion of the village community. The closures are viewed by many as a wrong way to counter the financial challenges of the municipalities, as well as change.

"When the daycare centers close, our children lose important opportunities for education and development," is the concerned voice of many parents in the village. In addition, there is the stress that working parents will experience who have to look for new solutions for the care of their children. These changes could also mean that children have to accept longer travel routes, which in turn affects time, money and the environment.

But the discussion about quality and access to early childhood education is not only an issue in Osterwieck. Kitas are also under pressure nationwide. More and more institutions are reporting serious challenges such as overloading of the staff, lack of staff and increasing demands. The results of a survey show that 43% of the daycare lines report an increased need for funding in linguistic development, while some facilities even speak of a shortage of skilled workers in childcare-one of the reasons why initiatives such as the "good day care law" were launched here, as well as on Kindergartenzädagogik.de

It remains to be hoped that those responsible in Osterwieck and beyond will have a good hand to recognize the importance of daycare centers for children and the entire community and to find solutions that are not at the expense of the smallest members of our society.