Daycare: Kita expansion significantly more expensive than government plan

According to a calculation of Bertelsmann Foundation, investments planned by federal government of 3.5 billion euros to improve quality of daycare centres are clearly too low. Instead, over 15 billion would have to be spent to increase quality as advertised and at same time abolish fees for care, it says in study.

The calculation also shows that parents with very little money for taking care of ir children on average spend significantly more of ir income than well-earning – despite staggering of kita fees by income. Households with less than 60 per cent of average income thus pay an average of 118 euros per month and thus 10 percent of ir income for ir children's Kita visit. In case of higher income parents, share is about 5 percent or 178 euros.

© Michael Heck Hasan Gabriel editor in Department of Politics, Economy and society, time online to author page

According to calculation, poorer households are more than twice as burdened by additional costs – for example, for excursions, food or crafts – than wealthier parents: y pay an average of 3.3 percent of ir household nettoeinkommens in this area , while wealthier families have to spend 1.4 percent on it. Additional fees are charged irrespective of family's financial income, with approximately 45 euros per month.

For freedom of contribution proposed by Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD), state would have to pay an annual fee of approximately 5.7 billion euros for additional fees, a furr 1.6 billion euros. The Confederation would have to invest 15.3 billion euros a year in order to increase both quality and to abolish contributions. "In Kita financing, claim and reality are far apart," criticizes Jörg Dräger from board of Directors of Bertelsmann Foundation. The political promise of freedom of contribution lacks financial substance. "It is currently to be feared that quality will remain on track."

For parents, quality is more important than contribution freedom

Despite burden of Kita contributions and additional fees, majority of parents of study would be willing to pay higher contributions for better quality: 59 percent of parents above, but also 53 percent of parents below poverty risk limit would More staff and better equipment also accept higher contributions.

Currently, 17 percent of Kita parents have a household income below poverty risk limit. Two-thirds of m pay Kita contributions, although se are socially staggered. "We need an exemption from low-income families of Kita costs," demands Dräger. Estimates on basis of study would cost around 730 million euros per year.

Place of residence determines financial burden

In addition to representative survey, Bertelsmann Foundation has interviewed 6,000 parents from Germany via an online questionnaire. The results show large regional differences in financial burden. In Berlin, for example, total cost of care thanks to Kita coupon only accounts for about two percent of an average household income. At same time, quality of crib groups, measured by personnel key, is also considerably worse here than in federal average. In Baden-Württemberg, however, personnel keys are best in Germany, where parents participate with around seven percent of an average household income in daycare financing.

Jörg Dräger refore advises that only parents at risk of poverty should be exempted from childcare contributions and additional fees. He considers intended contribution-free freedom for all parents to be hasty: "nationwide, teachers are absent and care keys do not vote in many daycare centers. To relieve all parents now would unnecessarily narrow political scope for quality development. "

Date Of Update: 28 May 2018, 12:02