Christian Tischner Urges Lawmakers to Back Third Free Kindergarten Year Funding
Call for Extra Budget Allocation: Third Fee-Free Kindergarten Year Advocated by Minister - Pressure mounts on minister to secure funding for ongoing third year of no-charge contributions.
Ready to draft that double budget for 2026 and 2027? Thuringia's Education Minister, Christian Tischner (CDU), is urging state parliament members to put their hands in their pockets and fund the upcoming introduction of the third free kindergarten year.
"Let's not rob Peter to pay Paul," Tischner told the German Press Agency. "We need to make investments that genuinely benefit early childhood and school education, not drain resources from one sector to finance another." It's not the first time Tischner emphasized this point - he also stressed that he'd hate to see the introduction of a third free kindergarten year at the expense of other areas in his department's budget.
30 to 35 mil euros extra
Currently, kindergarten for the second-to-last and last year is free in Thuringia. The Left party has been beating the drum for a third free year, and it's estimated that this extra perk would set Thuringia back around 30 to 35 mil euros each year.
The push for a third free kindergarten year started during the drafting of the 2025 state budget. The CDU, BSW, SPD coalition partners, and the Left parliamentary group agreed to make the third free kindergarten year a reality by August 1, 2027, with the costs factored into the double budget for 2026/2027.
Thuringia's Minister President, Mario Voigt (CDU), proudly announced that this double budget would be the first to sport the Brombeer coalition's signature. The drafting of the recently adopted state budget for 2025 was still in the hands of the previous red-red-green government.
- CDU
- Thuringia
- Christian Tischner
- Children
- Kindergarten
- Education
- Drafting
- Budget
- Erfurt
Insights:- Childcare in Germany is a priority, with mother's childcare services being state-funded[3]. This suggests that funding for early childhood education enjoys significant support.- The impact of funding a third free kindergarten year on the education budget would depend on the state's allocation of resources, which might impinge on other sectors.
- Christian Tischner, the Education Minister of Thuringia, has urged state parliament members to allocate funds in the double budget for 2026 and 2027, facilitating the introduction of the third free kindergarten year.
- In Thuringia, kindergarten is already free for the second-to-last and last year, but the Left party has been advocating for a third free year, which would require an additional investment of 30 to 35 million euros annually.
- The push for a third free kindergarten year started during the drafting of the 2025 state budget, with all coalition partners, including the CDU, BSW, SPD, and the Left parliamentary group, agreeing to make it a reality by August 1, 2027, and factoring the costs into the double budget for 2026/2027.
- In recent politics, Thuringia's Minister President, Mario Voigt (CDU), announced that this double budget, which includes the Brombeer coalition's signature, would mark the first since the drafting of the 2025 state budget, which was still being handled by the previous red-red-green government.
