Bavaria's Kindergartens Lag Behind in Specialized Staff, Raising Concerns About Workload and Standards
Bavaria trails other German states in the proportion of specialized staff in kindergartens, with only 54.5 percent on average, the lowest nationwide. This disparity has sparked concerns about workload and professional standards in the sector.
Trade union Verdi has criticized the situation in Bavarian kindergartens, where too few specialized staff and too many children lead to excessive workloads. This issue is particularly pronounced in the ten districts with the lowest proportion of specialized staff, all located in Bavaria, with Augsburg at the bottom with just 2.3 percent.
The use of less qualified staff to fill these gaps has raised concerns about de-professionalization and lower standards in the field. In contrast, Eastern Germany boasts a high specialized staff quota of around 87 percent, and the nationwide average stands at 72 percent. Thuringia, for instance, has an impressive 94 percent.
Bavarian municipalities have implemented measures to address this issue. They have doubled the number of pedagogical personnel since 2010 and will reallocate family funding directly to kindergartens from 2026. These efforts aim to fully cover personnel needs by 2027/2028, leading to a relaxation in the staffing situation. However, only 3.6 percent of Bavarian kindergartens have a high specialized staff quota of at least 82.5 percent, and in around a third, less than half of the staff are specialized.
Bavaria's kindergarten sector faces challenges with the lowest specialized staff quota nationwide. While measures are in place to improve the situation, the majority of Bavarian kindergartens still fall short of the desired staffing levels. Cost pressure and staff shortages contribute to the use of less qualified staff, highlighting the need for continued efforts to enhance professional standards in the field.
