Kita's extinction in the east: Alarming closures threaten!

Kita's extinction in the east: Alarming closures threaten!

In the eastern federal states of Germany, daycare centers are under pressure. In Berlin-Pankow, creative measures are advertised for children. Notices and flyers should help fill the smaller groups. However, a far -reaching problem shows itself in the major Saxon cities such as Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, where daycare centers have to be closed due to the declining number of children. Doreen Siebernik, deputy chairman of the GEW, warns of an impending daycare die in East Germany, which could damage the local care sustainably, reports Radio Waf .

The family minister Karin Prien emphasizes that the problem of daycare places in the eastern and western countries is stored differently. While a noticeable decline in birth rates has been determined in the east since 2017, the birth decline in the west only used in the 2020s. According to a study by the German Economy Institute, it is recommended that the daycare capacities in the east to be taken into account in order to take into account the falling birth rate.

falling number of children and their consequences

A look at the numbers shows a dramatic development: in 2024 only about 677,000 children were born in Germany, a number that was still 1.2 million in the 1950s and 1960s. Forecasts are in the room that the number of under three year olds will decrease by about 12% by 2028. In the new federal states in particular, the daycare landscape is currently confronted with serious challenges. In cities such as Leipzig, for example, over 4,000 daycare places are empty, while in many other regions the facilities are faced with the closure. In Thuringia, more than half of the daycare providers are said to close in the next five years, reports Iwd .

In the east of Germany, the birth rate has dropped by 36 % since 2016, which means that the need for school places also falls different. In West Germany, an increase in the number of six to nine-year-olds is expected by almost 4% by 2027, while in East Germany the need for primary school places is falling.

need for action in the daycare centers

In order to cope with the tense situation, those responsible urge to improve the support key. In Saxony-Anhalt, daycare staff must already be used in other areas, a fact that endangers the quality of the care. The GEW sees the falling number of children as an opportunity to optimize quality in daycare centers. For the trainers and teachers, further training must be promoted to support the specialists, according to the IW study.

The demographic differences between East and West Germany lead to very different challenges. While there is still a high need for daycare places in the west, the situation in the east of closures and an oversupply is shaped in places. In order to offer the children the best possible care, differentiated concepts are required to meet regional needs, as well as the framework of a changing education system. This fluctuation process not only leads to the loss of institutions, but also has far-reaching consequences for the social structures in the affected regions, states Nordkurier .