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Germany’s Childcare System Grapples with Eastern Underuse and Western Staff Gaps

Proposals range from retraining staff in low-demand eastern Kitas to recruiting these workers for understaffed centers in North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Wegen sinkender Geburtenzahlen bekommt das Kita-Personal im Osten zunehmend Probleme (Symbolbild).
In Deutschland müssen offenbar Kitas wegen Unterlastung schließen.

Overview

  • Childcare centers in major eastern cities such as Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz are facing closures due to underuse from declining birth rates.
  • Federal Family Minister Karin Prien has proposed retraining Kita personnel in eastern states for redeployment to areas of higher demand to prevent system collapse.
  • The FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia is calling for a targeted recruitment campaign with relocation aid to draw qualified staff from eastern Germany to fill regional shortages.
  • Education unions and the IW study urge retaining staff by improving child-to-carer ratios, citing lower enrollment as an opportunity to boost care quality.
  • Saxony’s state parliament has enacted a temporary freeze on Kita closures and directed facilities to use surplus capacity to strengthen personnel ratios.