Bertelsmann Foundation Sounds Alarm for Daycare Quality in Saxony-Anhalt
According to a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, Saxony-Anhalt daycare centers could significantly benefit from hiring more staff to meet quality standards. On average, one full-time specialist in crèche groups caters to 5.5 full-time children, while the foundation recommends a 1:3 ratio. In kindergarten groups, the 1:10.3 ratio falls short of the recommended 1:7.5. The report highlights that 97% of under-threes and 89% of over-threes are cared for in understaffed groups.
What About Educational Success in Daycare Centers?
Kathrin Bock-Famulla, an expert on early childhood education at the Bertelsman Foundation, explains that when specialists have more children than the scientifically recommended limit, the educational quality suffers. This implies that Saxony-Anhalt's daycare centers might not be fulfilling their educational mandate for most children at present.
Creating a Conducive Environment for Staff
The lowered child population in Saxony-Anhalt presents an opportunity to reach the recommended staffing ratios by 2030 and cater to parents' needs. However, achieving this goal requires persistence in hiring and retaining specialists, continuing to hire career changers, and recruiting around 2,700 additional professionals.
Relieving the Burden on Childcare Workers and Shorter Opening Hours
The foundation suggests that childcare workers should be relieved of non-educational tasks, such as hiring administrative and housekeeping staff. Additionally, the option of shortening daycare opening hours to seven hours a day has been proposed. This could meet the requirements of all parents in Saxony-Anhalt by 2025, and staffing ratios might even reach the better western standard levels. Furthermore, parents in the federal state prefer shorter childcare hours, according to the German Youth Institute's Childcare Study 2022.
Harmonizing Parents' Working Hours with Daycare Opening Hours
Bock-Famulla points out that the aforementioned approach can only be agreed upon by parents, providers, and local authorities. Moreover, employers must adapt parents' working hours more closely to daycare center opening hours.
The Need for Change in Saxony-Anhalt's Kindergarten Labor Market
The current staffing ratios in Saxony-Anhalt's kindergartens fall short of fulfilling the scientifically recommended values. The Bertelsmann Foundation emphasizes that to provide high-quality care and education in these centers, an additional workforce of over 2,700 well-equipped professionals is required.
Incorporating Expertise, Curriculum and Culture
Early childhood education organizations should prioritize qualified and regularly trained staff, low staff-to-child ratios, positive staff-child engagement, ongoing professional development, and engaging cultural and language-based programs to meet the highest standards of childcare education and benefit children's growth and development.
