Erlangen is facing daycare challenges: there are a lack of places and staff!

Erlangen is facing daycare challenges: there are a lack of places and staff!

In the city of Erlangen, the current situation in child day care shows both positive aspects and challenges that need to be overcome. According to a report from the city administration, which serves as the basis for future planning and decisions by the Youth Welfare Committee, Erlangen has good conditions for child care, but there is still an urgent need for action. As of January 31, 2024, a total of 3,913 places in kindergartens and 1,508 places for children under three years of age will be available in the city. This corresponds to a care rate of 92% for kindergarten age and around 44% for children under three. A look at the figures shows that the coverage rate for under three-year-olds is currently 49%, while the target is 53%.

But it's not just for small children that there is room for improvement: in the kindergarten sector, the coverage rate is 103%, although the legally set target is 105%. In addition, there is no defined target value in primary schools; Here, care is based on a legal entitlement that is also tied to full-day care. The coverage rate in this area is 82% and varies greatly between the different districts. A major issue for the city remains the demand for close-to-home and flexible care options.

Recruiting personnel as a challenge

A central point that affects the expansion of care offerings is recruiting staff for after-school care facilities. According to the report, many future carers are left behind: there are hardly any full-time positions and part-time work is often viewed as unattractive. In short, the ability to plan suffers from both the short booking times and the economic conditions. In order to remedy this, it is necessary to bundle the offer of school child care in the after-school care center together with the kindergarten groups, for example within the framework of concepts such as the “House for Children”.

Another aspect is the fact that parents are allowed to travel up to 25 minutes on public transport, which means that the use of childcare services remains low among households with low incomes and low levels of education. Necessary renovations and expansions often cannot be implemented quickly enough, which contributes to the existing challenge of fulfilling the statutory right to full-day care.

Overall urban perspective

The plans aim for a city-wide perspective that takes local conditions into account, but focuses overall on expanding capacities. The report also comes to the conclusion that for the sustainable implementation of the planned measure, significantly more financial resources are needed, which should be made available by both the federal government and the Free State. According to the Federal Statistical Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, a comprehensive collection of data on day care centers is essential in order to maintain an overview of the care offered in day care centers in Erlangen as well as the staffing requirements for the required expansion.

In conclusion, it can be summarized that although Erlangen is building on a solid foundation in child day care, there is still a lot of need for action. In particular, the challenges with personnel and the different care quotas require innovative solutions and a strategic approach to the topic. We can only hope that the city and the responsible committees act quickly to make the care offerings fit for the future.

You can find out more about the current challenges and planning in child day care in the detailed reports from Erlangen as well as an overview of the Federal Statistical Office.