Standards for instruction and personnel management in every school must be trustworthy, according to Ver.di's demand
In just 364 days, the legal claim to full-day care for elementary school children will be enforced in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). This development, introduced in the Child and Youth Welfare Act (Social Code Book VIII) in 2021, holds the promise of more equal opportunities for all children and better compatibility of family and work for parents. However, the road to successful implementation is fraught with organizational and pedagogical challenges.
The union representative has expressed concern about the state government's lack of action regarding the full-day care claim in NRW. The Landesbezirksleiterin, emphasizing the legal right to full-day care as an opportunity, believes decisive action from the responsible ministries is now necessary for successful implementation.
One of the main challenges is the shortage of qualified personnel. Principals report difficulties in recruiting trained professionals needed to operationalize quality full-day programs that meet educational and care standards. This is compounded by demographic and social factors, such as a high percentage of children from immigrant families in some schools, which require appropriately designed support and resources to succeed pedagogically.
Insufficient resources to support language development and integration, especially in schools with high proportions of immigrant children, is another hurdle. There is a gap between early childhood education (kindergarten) and elementary schools that needs to be bridged.
The Landesbezirksleiterin states that it is unacceptable for children to be in precarious full-day care conditions. If the quality of the local full-day care offer is determined by the municipalities' financial situation, it could lead to overwhelmed employees, a lack of childcare, and dissatisfied parents. The financially struggling municipalities are left to their own devices in implementing the full-day care claim, which could lead to a disastrous introduction.
To address these issues, the states must set a binding framework through implementation regulations. These regulations should include clear promises about co-financing, key personnel, further training, and cooperation with state youth offices and youth welfare carriers locally.
The state government and related actors, including unions, are aware of these challenges. Although the search results do not detail all specific measures currently underway, it is noted that NRW’s government is involved in funding regional projects (though mostly outside the elementary education context) and emphasizing digital and sustainable future initiatives. However, direct state-led initiatives and union responses specifically addressing the shortage of educators, integration support, and pedagogical continuity in the full-day elementary care system are not explicitly described in the available information.
The union representative is ready to support this process constructively, in the interest of equitable, child-friendly, and future-proof education, upbringing, and care. High pedagogical quality and reliability of the full-day care offer are crucial for achieving these goals. Sufficient staff, clarified cost assumptions, expansion of facilities, and guaranteed quality of the pedagogical offer are necessary for the successful implementation of full-day care.
In conclusion, the legal claim to full-day care for elementary school children in NRW presents an opportunity for all, but it is essential to take decisive action to ensure its successful implementation. The state government and unions must address the organizational and pedagogical challenges, particularly the shortage of qualified personnel and insufficient resources for language development and integration, to provide equitable, child-friendly, and future-proof education, upbringing, and care for all children in NRW.
The union representative urges the state government to take decisive action on the issue of qualified personnel for successful implementation of the full-day care claim, as the shortage is a substantial challenge. The union aims to support the process of creating equitable, child-friendly, and future-proof education, upbringing, and care in NRW, which requires addressing the shortage of educators and providing sufficient resources for language development and integration.
Policy and legislation regarding the full-day care claim needs to include binding frameworks with clear promises about co-financing, key personnel, further training, and cooperation with state youth offices and youth welfare carriers locally. General news and education-and-self-development policy discussions should highlight the necessity of these measures for successful implementation.
