Rhineland-Palatinate is investing millions for new daycare places in the Altenkirchen district!

Rhineland-Palatinate is investing millions for new daycare places in the Altenkirchen district!

Rhineland-Palatinate is investing again in early childhood education. A total of over seven million euros will be invested in the expansion of daycare centers in order to cover the increased need for childcare places. The state's commitment is also reflected in the 21 daycare centers that will benefit from the funding, with a total of 824 new places to be created. A key goal of these investments is to meet the needs of young families and promote a stable daycare landscape.

In the Altenkirchen district, some facilities receive special attention through targeted funding. The daycare center in the city of Herdorf is supported with 442,000 euros, while the municipal kindergarten Wissen receives 170,000 euros. The municipal daycare center Arche Noah in Brachbach also benefits from 220,000 euros in funding. State parliament member Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler emphasizes how important these investments are for high-quality care for children. She emphasizes that a stable daycare landscape is crucial for the settlement of young families in the region, which promotes overall community development. [ak-kurier] reports that this is part of a comprehensive plan in the current double budget, in which over one billion euros will be invested in the country's early childhood education for the first time.

The need for care places is growing

The expansion of child care places is urgently needed as the demand for child day care is continually increasing. Since 2006 there have been around 26% more places in child day care in Germany. Nevertheless, the need for high-quality early childhood education and care has outpaced the creation of new places. More and more parents and guardians are exercising their right to daycare, especially for younger children and on a full-day basis.

The responsibility for providing care places lies with the municipalities. It is therefore of utmost importance not only to recognize the demand for care places, but also to actively fulfill it. The Minister for Education and Early Childhood Care emphasizes that the municipalities will also receive regular investment cost support of 15 million euros in 2023 and 2024. In addition, a special program worth 40 million euros was launched for daycare expansion in order to create additional places that are necessary to fulfill the legal rights of all children.

Skilled workers urgently needed

A central element for the success of the daycare expansion is the availability of well-qualified specialists. The number of staff employed in daycare centers has increased by around 90% in recent years. In order to combat the shortage of skilled workers, a skilled workers campaign has been running since February 2023 to help the providers recruit suitable staff. The minister expressed her optimism that the challenges in child day care can be overcome together and that the targeted improvement in the promotion of early childhood education in Rhineland-Palatinate will be highlighted positively [kita.rlp].