On Thursday, the Düsseldorf state parliament will primarily deal with issues relating to day care centers. As so often, the question is how important programs are financed.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In the dispute over further funding for the "Language Daycare" program in North Rhine-Westphalia, the opposition has called for clarity for families and staff as quickly as possible. On Thursday (10:00 a.m.) the state parliament in Düsseldorf will deal with an application from the SPD and FDP, in which the black and yellow government is asked to guarantee the continuation of the program from 2023. If there are not enough federal funds available, money must also be made available by the state. "Language day-care centers" are important for integration and equal opportunities.
Federal funding is scheduled to expire at the end of 2022, but Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) had promised transitional funding. However, the federal states would have to assure that they would then include the “language day-care centers” in the standard funding, i.e. they would have to pay for the costs themselves in the future. Since 2016, the federal government has been funding additional staff at daycare centers for language development, with around one in eight facilities in NRW benefiting from this.
The MPs are also discussing an application by the government factions of the CDU and Greens, which aims to continue the daycare helper program. The coalition had already announced a continuation. Everyday helpers support the pedagogical staff in the kitchen, for example, when shopping, cleaning or on excursions.
