Enough seats but no staff. The situation in the Saxon day-care centers is an old problem. Although the situation has improved somewhat, there is still much to be done.
Gütersloh/Dresden (dpa/sn) – According to a study, there is still a lack of staff in Saxony’s day-care centers. According to the study by the Bertelsmann Foundation on early childhood education, 93 percent of daycare children in Bavaria are cared for in groups with staffing levels that are not suitable for children. That is the second-highest percentage nationwide. “Since there will be enough daycare places in the federal state in 2023 to meet the care needs of parents, the state should concentrate on improving quality,” it said.
In order to achieve a personnel ratio that corresponds to scientific recommendations, an additional 20,800 specialists would have to be hired in Saxony, the authors of the study said. This would result in additional personnel costs of around one billion euros per year. At the same time, there are enough daycare places in Saxony to cover the parents’ demand. In the coming year, the required 184,000 places will be available.
According to the authors, Saxony has a very unfavorable staffing level in both the crèche and kindergarten groups. In crèches, the staff ratio has improved since 2014 and is arithmetically at 1 to 5.3. “But a full-time professional is still responsible for more than two more children in full-time care than the Bertelsmann Foundation recommends (1 to 3).” Nationwide, the value is 1 to 3.9.
In Saxon kindergartens, too, the personnel ratio of 1 to 11.4 is significantly worse than the national figure of 1 to 8.4. The Bertelsmann Stiftung Sachsen also confirms an improvement here. Compared to 2014, a skilled worker now has two fewer children to look after. Based on the recommendation of the foundation (1 to 7.5), a Saxon specialist is still responsible for almost four more children.
