Daycare staff in Saxony-Anhalt: Millions planned for better care!

Daycare staff in Saxony-Anhalt: Millions planned for better care!

An important topic in the discussion about early childhood care is the staffing ratio in daycare centers. While the Ministry of Social Affairs in Saxony-Anhalt plans to stick to the current staffing ratio, Minister Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD) has an alternative solution in mind for the challenges in the daycare sector. Their goal is to stabilize the number of educators and, as is well known, the staffing ratio is a central criterion when it comes to quality in daycare centers. According to the bpb This is calculated from the scope of employment and care and shows how many children there are per person working in education.

In order to improve the situation, the minister plans to introduce an education and demographic allowance by 2033, which will bring additional millions to the municipalities. This could enable municipalities to hire more staff than the minimum staffing ratio allows. Around 26 million euros more have already been planned for daycare centers in 2026 in order to relieve the burden on skilled workers, bind young educators to the facilities and increase part-time contracts. A close-knit daycare network, especially in rural areas, remains the primary goal.

The personnel key in detail

The importance of the personnel ratio cannot be overestimated. It varies depending on the age group and is crucial for the quality of care. The staffing ratio for groups with only children under 3 is currently 1:4, which means that one educational specialist looks after four children. For cross-age groups without school children this is 1:6, while the key for groups with children before and after starting school is 1:7.3 and for children from three years of age up to school starting is 1:7.7. These figures show a slight deterioration compared to the previous year, with the situation in the eastern federal states being even more challenging, here the key for groups of small children is 1:5.4, compared to 1:3.5 in the former federal territory, such as the MDR reported.

The challenge arises not only from the numbers, but also from the staff themselves. A study by the Justus Liebig University of Giessen in collaboration with the Bertelsmann Foundation showed that almost half of the daycare center employees surveyed feel overworked every day. As a result, many employees seriously consider leaving the professional field. This risk of migration is particularly pronounced among employees between the ages of 26 and 30 Bertelsmann Foundation. The recommendations of the Early Education Working Group of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs include an increase in the skilled worker quota to 72.5 percent, which would represent a significant measure to improve the situation.

The vision for the future

In order to address the challenges, it is necessary that the federal government takes the recommendations seriously. Reliably financed, professional advice and support for daycare teams could help increase the proportion of skilled workers. These developments are crucial for the future of early childhood education in Germany. It is clear that there is a need for action to meet the needs of children, parents and educators and to sustainably ensure the quality of early childhood care.