Bautzen Mayor finally calls to be heard: daycare crisis comes to a head!

Bautzen Mayor finally calls to be heard: daycare crisis comes to a head!

In the district of Bautzen, there is among the mayors: Inside frustration about insufficient communication with the state government. They demand a serious and sustainable dialogue so that their concerns are heard. In particular, the financing of daycare care is on the agenda. Mayor Thomas Martolock from Cunewald criticizes that the needs of his community were not taken into account in the state budget. This problem is also reflected in increasing dissatisfaction on the municipal basis, where four mayors had to take their hat early. Radiolausitz reports that Mayor Holm Große warns from the free voters against a debt spiral if the municipalities are not sufficiently financed become.

But what does the situation actually look like in relation to daycare care? In Germany there is a real “patchwork car” in financing options and grants, since the regulations at the state level are different. Lara Martínez, a mother from Cologne, pays 193 euros per month to the city and an additional 60 euros to her daycare - it has proven that promised additional services are not always provided to the promised extent. However, this is not just a individual case, but a system problem. According to Deutschlandfunk there are no around 300,000 daycare places for under three year olds, although there is a legal claim to a daycare center.

The municipal challenge

In the municipalities, these grievances lead to an increased importance of financing, which is regulated according to the legal foundations of SGB VIII. The main part of the financing amounts, over 40 billion euros only in 2022, is applied by public budgets. The municipalities contribute around 20.5 billion euros. This means that the responsibility for the financing of daycare centers is largely due to the municipalities, which puts it under significantly pressure, especially since the childcare rate among the latest increases. Professor Dr. Harald Christa also sees a socio-economic importance in daycare financing: "Early education results in public health insurance funds and promotes the employment of the parents", explains the expert in the article by Wolters Kluwer .

The mayors' concerns: Inside in the Bautzen district, the critical situation of the daycare centers is reflected. Swen Nowotny, Mayor of the CDU, is discouraged because he criticizes the ignorance of the state government towards the municipal concerns. In particular, the painted water flat rate, which previously earned the municipalities five million euros, continued to press the municipalities. In addition to the focus on courses, which takes the practical solutions into the background, the mayors are also upset about the lack of answers to their questions in dialogue forums. Another example of the problems brought up is the increase in parental contributions for crèche places for 40 euros per month in Königswartha.