The number of children taken care of in day-care centers has reached a new high. But the need for childcare places continues to exceed the supply, as a study by the Ministry of Family Affairs shows.
The number of children cared for in daycare centers rose to a new record level in 2022. Nevertheless, many parents’ desire for a daycare place for their children is not fulfilled. This is the result of a study by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.
The need for a childcare place differs depending on the age group of the children, and is particularly high in the groups of children under the age of three and of primary school age: 49.1 percent of the parents of children under the age of three needed a place, but the childcare rate was only around 35.5 percent. With regard to children of primary school age, 73 percent of the parents expressed a need for childcare. On the other hand, only 55 percent attended an after-school care or all-day place.
How many parents want a place depends on the age of the children: the older the child is, the more often the parents express a need for childcare. 64.9 percent of the parents of one-year-old children and 80.7 percent of the parents of two-year-old children would have liked a daycare place for their child in 2022.
Care gap in kindergartens and elementary schools
“Virtually every child from the age of three to school entry is cared for in a day-care center. Nationwide it is 92 percent,” said Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus, referring to the study – even if the need was 96.5 percent. In figures: A good 2.65 million children attended child day care last year. That was around 39,000 more children than in the previous year.
“But it is also true that there is still a gap in childcare, in daycare centers, but also in primary schools,” said the Greens politician, referring to the high demand. Overall, there is still a supply gap in all age groups.
Legal Right to All-day primary school place
According to the Minister for Family Affairs, the introduction of a legal entitlement to an all-day primary school place is all the more important for primary school children. “That’s the next priority,” she said. In 2021, the federal and state governments decided on a legal entitlement to all-day care in primary schools, but this is only to be gradually introduced in 2026.
The basis for the data presented in the study is a survey of around 35,000 parents of children up to ten years of age. The reference date for the survey was March 1, 2022.
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