Hersfeld-Rotenburg at the top: daycare staff with top marks!

Hersfeld-Rotenburg at the top: daycare staff with top marks!

There are bright spots in the area of ​​early childhood education in Hesse: the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district is at the forefront when it comes to qualified daycare staff. At an impressive 66.2 percent, the daycare centers in this district achieve a high skilled worker quota, defined as at least 82.5 percent of the teaching staff with relevant training. This puts Hersfeld-Rotenburg in first place in Hesse, while the Hesse-wide average is just around 35 percent East Hesse News reported.

However, these high rates do not mean that the situation looks rosy everywhere. On the contrary, the Bertelsmann Foundation cites a study that shows that skilled worker quotas are falling nationwide. In many regions it is difficult to maintain the educational quality in daycare centers, which makes it difficult to find well-trained staff. A warning sign, because almost half of the daycare center employees surveyed often feel overloaded, which leads many to think about leaving the job. Employees between the ages of 26 and 30 are particularly at risk, as the foundation states on its website ( Bertelsmann Foundation ).

Skilled workforce quota under scrutiny

The situation is particularly alarming because in many federal states fewer and fewer skilled workers with the appropriate training are working in daycare centers. The situation is particularly critical in Bremen, Saarland and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the skilled worker ratio has fallen sharply. A skilled worker quota of over 80 percent is considered high, while quotas of less than 50 percent are considered weak. As a result, the quality of early childhood education suffers, as is also made clear by the “State Monitor for Early Childhood Education Systems” ( ZDF today ).

Dirk Noll, first district councilor in Hersfeld-Rotenburg, emphasizes the importance of well-trained staff for early childhood education. This is crucial in order to guarantee the quality and thus the early learning of the children. The district's daycare specialist advice actively supports the facilities with staffing and quality development in order to ensure high standards.

Challenges and solutions

The Bertelsmann Foundation has issued several recommendations to increase skilled worker quotas in the long term. This includes increasing the skilled worker quota to at least 72.5 percent, with a long-term goal of 85 percent in every daycare team. However, these suggestions were not taken into account in the Federal Government's Daycare Quality Act, which underlines the need for reliable, professional advice and financing.

The technical school for social work in Heimboldshausen plays an important role in training future skilled workers in the region. By continually providing young people for the daycare centers, it helps to maintain the high quotas in the district. It remains to be hoped that not only the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district, but also other regions in Hesse and Germany will follow this example.