The Education and Science Union (GEW) is warning against cuts to the preparation and follow-up time allotted to daycare staff. This comes amid a decline in the number of children attending daycare centers in the Free State. Under the current tiered model, a qualified staff member working at least 34 hours per week is entitled to two hours of preparation and follow-up time. This applies to more than half of all early childhood educators. For a weekly work schedule of at least 22 hours, the allowance is one hour; for fewer hours, this option is not available at all. “There are now a great many professionals who, due to the decline in the number of children, are forced to work reduced part-time hours. As a result, the hours allocated for preparation and follow-up work are also decreasing or being eliminated entirely,” explained GEW President Burkhard Naumann. He considers this disastrous because it not only increases the workload on colleagues but also lowers the quality of care. Until now, staff have been able to handle team meetings, parent communication, and even responding to emails during preparation and follow-up time. Now, if this time is eliminated, these tasks must be done during childcare hours. “That is currently one of the main problems in daycare centers,” Naumann told the German Press Agency, citing feedback from the facilities. “When are the staff supposed to hold their team meetings and write lesson plans?” In the end, he said, there is no time left for direct work with the children. The same applies to the task of implementing Saxony’s new education and care plan. Although it is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, putting it into practice is unfeasible given the short timeframe and the workload on staff. “We see a massive problem here. The plan may be wonderful, but if it stays in a drawer due to a lack of time and resources, it’s useless. When are the early childhood educators supposed to deal with this?” asked the union representative. He noted that the quality criteria for a daycare center include not just providing care, but actually incorporating it into the work with the children. Naumann also commented on the federal government’s daycare plans. Specifically, this concerns the draft of the Childcare Early Opportunities and Quality Development Act. Among other things, it focuses on early childhood education, language tests for all four-year-olds, and support based on social factors. However, the GEW leader believes that the specific needs of daycare centers in eastern Germany—where child enrollment is declining—are not being sufficiently addressed. Daycare centers in the east generally have fewer closure days, longer operating hours, and already have the highest childcare coverage rates nationwide for children under three years of age. Naumann emphasized that, alongside the looming dismantling of these structures, competition for qualified staff is intensifying. There is a risk of an exodus from the East to the West. Yet the staff-to-child ratio in East German daycare centers is already worse today. This ratio describes how many children a single staff member actually cares for. In Saxony’s infant care centers, there are 5.4 children per caregiver; in kindergartens, the figure is 11.3. Saxony thus ranks second-to-last nationwide. Experts from the Bertelsmann Foundation recommend a staff-to-child ratio of 1 to 3 or 1 to 7.5. Burkhard Naumann believes that distributing funds based on a social index—that is, allocating more resources where staffing needs are higher due to social circumstances—is the right approach: “But only if funding isn’t cut from other institutions.” If the federal government wants to use the social index, it must also provide the additional funding for it. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reservedGEW: Staff Workload Rises, Quality of Care Declines
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