Uncertain future for daycare centers: career changers cause alarm!

Uncertain future for daycare centers: career changers cause alarm!

In recent months, the uncertainty for career changers in Lower Saxony's daycare centers (kitas) has increased noticeably. The reason: A funding program that employs a particularly large number of valuable people such as Elke Weidner and Monika Unger is expiring at the end of July. These additional staff, who have received comprehensive training of 160 hours, make a significant contribution to the educational work and support the educators on site. But now their professional future is in jeopardy, while the state government has given no firm commitment to continuing the program. It all depends on a draft guideline that has not yet been published, as NWZonline reports.

“It's a scary time,” say Diana Kreuzburg and Anja Janßen, who also have to look forward to the end of the funding program. They were firmly integrated into their daycare centers and are now being asked to pack their things. Many of them have already had experience with unsafe working conditions and are demanding planning security from the state government. The head of the Christus Kindergarten, Sabine Wistuba, also emphasizes that the existing shortage of skilled workers is making the situation even worse.

Support for daycare centers in Lower Saxony

In Lower Saxony, the aim of the “Quality Guideline” is to significantly increase the quality of daycare centers. Through this guideline, grants are granted to recruit additional staff and thus support the educational, upbringing and care work in the daycare centers. But time is running out; Because applications for grants must be submitted by November 30, 2023 at the latest. This also includes, among other things, special funding for employees in training, as can be seen from the information from Bildungsportal Niedersachsen.

In order to be able to continue working after the program ends, the affected forces have only a few options available. Full-time training to become a social assistant, which usually takes two years, could be a possible option. There is also the option of further training to become an educator, which takes another two years. However, many of the quality workers affected cannot afford the financial means for such training.

The need for skilled workers is growing

The situation not only challenges individuals, but also the entire system of early childhood education in Lower Saxony. The Bertelsmann Foundation's skilled workers radar shows that there will be a great need for skilled workers by 2030. However, with the right measures, staffing levels could meet parents' childcare needs. In order to achieve this, long-term strategies must urgently be developed to create suitable framework conditions. The aim is to ensure child-friendly and high-quality care for all children in Lower Saxony, as Familien-in-Niedersachsen summarizes.

The challenges are enormous, and something has to change soon so that daycare centers in Lower Saxony are well positioned not only today but also in the future. There is a great need for support, especially in hotspots and institutions with a high proportion of migrants. The time has come to boldly take new paths and push forward the development of a stable supply of skilled workers in early childhood education.