Gathering of Danish and German kite suppliers in the Landtag
In a recent meeting, 25 kindergarten directors from Dinslaken and Oberhausen, along with experts from provider associations, discussed the current state of kindergartens in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) with Member of the State Parliament Stefan Zimkeit. The discussion highlighted the urgent need for investment in both schools and kindergartens, as well as concerns about funding and training.
Stefan Zimkeit expressed his concern over the corresponding NRW aid package, stating that the state government seems to be stingy with energy costs. He emphasized the need for an investment program to construct new kindergartens, a sentiment echoed by Dennis Maelzer, the SPD kindergarten expert.
Maelzer believes that the kindergarten profession is attractive to many people, but finds the multi-year vocational training without remuneration unattractive. He suggested that the practice-integrated training (Pia) should be made competitive with other professions, and that the state should cover the full costs of Pia, including training at open full-day schools.
The lack of funding for necessary rooms, such as those for therapy offers, affecting inclusion in kindergartens, was criticized by Britta Glass (Lebenshilfe Oberhausen) and Raimund Schulz (Evangelical Church Dinslaken). They agreed that there is a significant shortage of kindergarten places everywhere.
Gerrit Plein (AWO Oberhausen) highlighted the significant shortage of skilled workers in the kindergarten sector, which also affects training capacities at vocational colleges. He joined the criticism, questioning how collectively agreed wage increases and increased costs for electricity and gas could be paid.
Ursula Harfst (Evangelical Church Oberhausen) also joined the chorus of criticism, questioning how these increases could be paid.
Despite ongoing initiatives and quality awards for NRW kindergartens, such as the 2025 German Daycare Center Award application phase, there is a lack of specific, publicly available detail on the current funding status for kindergartens or explicit proposals for comprehensive revisions of the Children's Education Act (KiBiz) in NRW. The NRW Ministry of Culture and Science stresses the importance of education, but does not provide recent details on funding or KiBiz legislative proposals.
In light of these concerns, Maelzer called for the state to bring suggestions from local kindergartens into state parliament consultations. He also advocated for a comprehensive revision of KiBiz, stating that the reform announced by the black-green coalition for August 2026 would come much too late.
For precise details on funding status or legislative revision proposals for KiBiz, consulting NRW state government announcements, the Ministry for Children, Families, Refugees and Integration of NRW, or legislative records would be necessary.
- The discussion about the current state of kindergartens in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has extended to the realm of politics, with Stefan Zimkeit and Dennis Maelzer calling for an investment program in education-and-self-development and policy-and-legislation regarding kindergartens, including funding, training, and the need for a revision of the Children's Education Act (KiBiz).
- Amidst the concerns about funding and training in the kindergarten sector, general-news outlets might report on the ongoing discussions about the need for comprehensive revisions of KiBiz, as well as calls from experts like Maelzer for the state to bring suggestions from local kindergartens into state parliament consultations, emphasizing the urgency of these issues to ensure the future of education and self-development.
