Auen vortex daycare: giant rooms, but fewer children - what now?

Auen vortex daycare: giant rooms, but fewer children - what now?

In the beautiful, gentle hills of Rügen, there is a worrying trend: fewer children find their way to the daycare centers. The latest statistics show that the number of children cared for in over 20 years has decreased in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. On March 1, 2024, the number of childcare children in daycare centers, after -school care and child minders only reached 116,664 - a decline of almost 1,000 children compared to the previous year. This phenomenon is due to the continued decline in birth, which has been particularly strong in rural areas for several years. In 2023, only around 8,633 children were born in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is the lowest number since 2004, as the Nordkurier reported.

The new Auen vortex day in Sagard, which has been in operation since January 2024, has modern equipment that takes into account the current needs of the children. With 1630 square meters, it offers a wide range of movements and space for 126 children. Despite the size, there are some places that are still vacant if the overall utilization can also be described as satisfactory. However, daycare manager Carina Lipp demands a better care key to better meet the needs of the children. This requirement is important in the context of the increasing number of children with developmental delays and linguistic deficits. Incidentally, the facility invested around 6.5 million euros and was designed by architect Wolfgang Warnkross to meet today's requirements, according to Ostsee-Zeitung .

The pressure on the staff

But even if the Auen vortex daycare is offered modern rooms, the personnel key remains a hotly discussed topic. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has the lowest personnel key in Germany: Almost 9 children under 3 years and 19 children over 3 years come to a specialist. The Education and Science Union (GEW) and experts draw on a strand and demand to improve this key in order to ensure the quality of the care. These demands are more than necessary, because the reality shows that an ignorance of the quality of care can have long-term negative effects on the development of children, especially in those who come from difficult conditions, such as catapet mv Notice.

In the Auenwirbel-Kita itself, the employees experience an increase in individual support needs. These changes not only require a rethink, but also additional resources and time for the children so that they can be encouraged in their development. A little ray of hope: Despite the tense personnel ceiling, the specialists in the daycare centers are well qualified and offer a qualitative approach to early funding.

observe the developments

The generally falling births mean that some municipalities have to consider merging smaller facilities. So while the number of births are declining, those responsible make the task of optimizing the existing care offer and adapting the facilities to the contemporary requirements. This requires a clever planning and the willingness to meet the needs of the children and their families.

The birth kink has changed the daycare landscape in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and presents the actors with great challenges. Parents are well advised to take care of a daycare center for their children in time, because the challenges of demand and the changes in the birth rate are clearly on the table.