Alliance for the Preservation of Daycare Centers Calls for a Protest at the State Legislature

The “Save Daycare Centers!” coalition plans to hold a demonstration this coming Wednesday (June 24), coinciding with the state parliament session, to advocate for the preservation of daycare centers. “The situation at daycare centers in Saxony is reaching a boiling point,” the coalition wrote in a call to action. After years of a shortage of childcare workers, the sector now faces job cuts, forced part-time work, and facility closures.

GEW: Daycare staff fear for their jobs

“For years, young people have completed a long, unpaid training program to work in daycare centers. Now they have to fear for their jobs,” explained Burkhard Naumann, head of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Saxony. The reasons, he said, are declining child enrollment, but above all the lack of willingness on the part of the state government and local authorities to retain staff and improve working conditions.

Union Cites High Workload

According to Naumann, day-to-day life in the facilities is extremely stressful: “Too little time for each individual child, too little time for preparation and follow-up.” Although the state government has announced a 365-euro increase in the daycare flat rate, without concrete improvements in quality, not a single euro would reach the individual daycare centers. “The money is in danger of getting lost in the municipalities’ tight budgets.”

Paritätischer wants clear guidelines on how the additional funds will be used

Michael Richter, state director of Paritätischer, suspects this is a sham for daycare centers and parents. Allowing funds to flow solely through the state daycare subsidy would merely relieve the financial burden on local governments, which could then save the same amount. “Without a binding, legally enshrined stipulation on how the state funds are to be used, the money is lost for any improvements to the daycare system.” Parent fees would not decrease either.

Alliance Calls for Long-Term Plan for the Future of Daycare Centers

The alliance is calling on the Saxon government and the state parliament to work with all stakeholders to develop a long-term, binding plan for better staffing levels —including an improved staff-to-child ratio, additional resources to maintain neighborhood daycare centers, a needs-based accounting for vacation, sick leave, and continuing education, as well as more time for preparation and follow-up.