Freedom of contributions for daycare centers: gift or dangerous election campaign?

Freedom of contributions for daycare centers: gift or dangerous election campaign?

In a secret vote, the Osnabrück city council has made a significant decision: From August 1, 2026, the fees for all daycare centers in the city are to be abolished. This decision was made by a majority of the city council groups SPD, Greens, Volt and Linke/Kalla Wefel, but this was not without criticism. The CDU, the Greens and Volt accuse supporters of populist election gifts, while Mayor Katharina Pötter warns of negative effects on the urban system and the shortage of skilled workers. According to [Hasepost] (https://www.haseepost.de/kitas-osnabrueck- cost-free- election campaign-geschenk-familien-611598/), the financial means and specialists are necessary to implement this ambitious measure.

The reactions from the opposition are clear. CDU parliamentary group leader Eva-Maria Westermann and her colleague Marius Keite express concerns about the financial burden that could result in freedom of contributions. They warn that the application for freedom of fees, which would cost around 6.8 million euros annually, would not have to be borne by the state of Lower Saxony, but by the city itself. At the moment, the state of Lower Saxony only takes over around half of the 82 million euros for childcare, which violates the principle of connexuality, as the CDU notes on its website

financial challenges

Social Department Wolfgang Beckermann has already struck alarmed tones and pointed out the need for additional crèche places, which could possibly have a construction effort of 56 million euros and annual operating costs of 12 million euros. Because high -quality childcare is currently in great demand in Osnabrück. The registration quota in crèche care is higher than in many surrounding communities, and the childcare times are longer and therefore also cheaper, which is a real advantage for many families. Nevertheless, the CDU also sees the risk that many places could remain unused in the event of a free fee, as there is a lack of specialists. This problem is still exacerbated by spontaneous group closures.

The city currently has a great budget deficit and fights every day with the challenges of the shortage of skilled workers. Each additional childcare day could cost the city around 300,000 euros, and in view of the high fluctuation in staffing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stabilize the childcare situation. In the meantime, the CDU representatives are calling for the contribution rates to be freezing so as not to burden the budget. It is sought that the majority of the council agrees to this proposal and that the fee adjustments are not made due to inflation.

The outlook on the future

The counter -financing in the amount of nine million euros is still dusty, because details are only published after the summer break. The SPD sees freedom of contributions as an important step towards more educational justice and as a measure against poverty in old age. The Greens, who initially wanted to strive for the contributions, struggled internally with this abrupt turn, but the decision has now been made.

Overall, the future development of childcare in Osnabrück depends on complex financial and personnel considerations. The administration was also commissioned to check models for wealthy families by 2026 to ensure that freedom of contributions will not become a permanent financial fiasco for the city. The pressure to find a responsible and needs -based solution is high, and the coming months will show how those responsible will meet these challenges.