I want to call the press: I was promised a Kindergarten place for 8 hours per day

[Proton Anna 63]

So I am really mad, and I want to call the press about it. This thread is about the dismal situation regarding kindergarten places in Bavaria. 

 

I am a single parent. I moved in March to a village very close to the previous one where I had resided, about 60 km north of Munich. Before I moved I registered my son to the new kindergarten in the new place, and by summer received a letter from the new kindergarten stating that as of September I will receive a place from 7:00 to about 16:00, every day. So far so good. In the old kindergarten my son attended the same hours, and as of September he would be a preschool child. 

 

As a result of me bing told that I would have a kindergarten place, I started a Weiterbildung in homepoffice that was in full time. That is, even if I was home, I needed to be in front of my computer until 16:00 and thus, I needed my son to be looked after until the afternoon. My weiterbildung was due to end by October and then I would start to look for work with my new acquired skills. 

 

At the beginning of September during Eingewöhnung, the principal of the kindergarten informs me that upps, sorry, we don't have staff, and that my child cannot attend longer than 12:00 every day until February. From february onwards they plan to get an additional staff member, and perhaps then they can offer my child a full time place, but until then that's the way it is. I assume that they made that decision based on the fact that they knew that my weiterbildung would be from home and they figured that I could have my child at home with me. 

 

Yet this is not the case. A weiterbildung in home offie is just as demanding and required my full attention. I simply cannot look after my child, for 4 hours per day. 

 

My next issue is that I was not informed in summer about this. Should I had been informed, I would have tried to look for alternatives, like a Tagesmuttter. Now all Tagesmutter are booked out. 

 

And lastly, if this is not bad enough, in the old village where I used to live, a new kindergarten opened and THEY STILL HAVE FREE PLACES. Yet they won't take my kid because he would be a Gastkind and they await Ukranian refugees. 

 

I spoke with the mayor from this village and from the other. Nobody cares. Sorry, they say, that's the way it is, you should be happy that you even have a place. 

 

I want to go to the press about this. I am a single parent who was promised something else. I cannot work with 4 hours of kindergarten per day. I would need to apply for Hartz IV, which I don;t want to. I can;t apply for citizenship if I get this financial support. 

 

How do I go abotu contacting the press? Which press should I contact?

 

Thank you

[jubinjohn 239]

Did u talk to jugendamt?. They may be able to help. 

[Proton Anna 63]

3 minutes ago, jubinjohn said:

Did u talk to jugendamt?. They may be able to help. 

 Did. They can't help. 

I want the press. I feel that they don't take me seriously at all

[fraufruit 41,963]

What do you think the press can do to help you? Everybody already knows about the lack of Kindergarten places.

[warsteiner70 282]

This is a Germany-wide problem and something that the Press and every parent of a small child knows about. If you google 'zu wenig kita-plätze' there will be results from news outlets all over Germany so the Press are already reporting on this and they probably won't be interested in your story as it isn't anything new (even though that sounds harsh).

 

If you want to try and find a solution to the problem of your child not being able to stay at the Kita all day then try to get in contact with other parents in the local area as they will probably be in a similar situation and may be able to help with a solution. Check if there is a Facebook group for your local area for parents or a local Community Center with information for Parent/Toddler Groups in your area? They may be able to help with a solution but the Press won't be interested.

[snowingagain 5,205]

1 hour ago, Proton Anna said:

 Did. They can't help. 

I want the press. I feel that they don't take me seriously at all

So, you mean, their list of Tagesmutters is no use?  

[Brockman 221]

Do you think going to the press will help? It seems you live in a small town, how do you think other Kitas will react when the 'lady who complains to the press' applies for a spot in their Kita? Your best bet is probably to continue searching and look into other options. Best of luck, many of us have been there and know it's frustrating! I know parents in Berlin who need to drive their kid to a Kita 1 hour each way for a 6 hour stay.

[fraufruit 41,963]

The other thing is that calling the press will only invite more drama into your already drama-filled life.

 

Let it go.

[Proton Anna 63]

38 minutes ago, snowingagain said:

So, you mean, their list of Tagesmutters is no use?  

Nope. All are booked out. If I would have been informed about this before ...

[karin_brenig 692]

instead of wasting your energy on contacting the press, maybe you could proactively find a solution for your problem by contacting organizations like this one:

https://www.johanniter.de/juh/lv-bayern/rv-oberbayern/standorte-einrichtungen-in-oberbayern/einrichtung-vor-ort/koordination-kindertagespflege-pfaffenhofen-2915/

I'm not sure, if your location on the profile here is correct - but even if it isn't Johanniter have a wide network of helpful services in Oberbayern.

 

Also, register on betreut.de - maybe you can find a person to pick up your child at 12:00, then take him home (to your place or theirs) and play with him until 16:00. Should be doable for a few months.

I find it interesting, that your child is about 5 years old - and still unable to be with you without interrupting your work for just 4 hours a day. My own daughter had to spend a lot of time with me at work - in the office, not at home - during my career whenever the daycare was unavailable for different reasons. That was stressful when she was between 1 and 4 years old, but actually fun when she was 5 and older. I still have the artwork that she created during those times.

 

Another idea could be that you take up some kind of a job (maybe even in that very daycare that needs help) until February and resume your Weiterbildung after that.

 

Good luck!

 

[Proton Anna 63]

24 minutes ago, karin_brenig said:

instead of wasting your energy on contacting the press, maybe you could proactively find a solution for your problem by contacting organizations like this one:

https://www.johanniter.de/juh/lv-bayern/rv-oberbayern/standorte-einrichtungen-in-oberbayern/einrichtung-vor-ort/koordination-kindertagespflege-pfaffenhofen-2915/

I'm not sure, if your location on the profile here is correct - but even if it isn't Johanniter have a wide network of helpful services in Oberbayern.

 

Also, register on betreut.de - maybe you can find a person to pick up your child at 12:00, then take him home (to your place or theirs) and play with him until 16:00. Should be doable for a few months.

I find it interesting, that your child is about 5 years old - and still unable to be with you without interrupting your work for just 4 hours a day. My own daughter had to spend a lot of time with me at work - in the office, not at home - during my career whenever the daycare was unavailable for different reasons. That was stressful when she was between 1 and 4 years old, but actually fun when she was 5 and older. I still have the artwork that she created during those times.

 

Another idea could be that you take up some kind of a job (maybe even in that very daycare that needs help) until February and resume your Weiterbildung after that.

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you for the suggestions.

I contacted Joanniter already.

Yes, my child is very energetic and until now was always in the kita and he is the type who cannot stay for many hours locked up with me, especially when it is sunny outside. Your daughter stayed with you from an early age and got used to it, mine didn't. Different kid, different circumstances. Not all kids are the same. 

I don;t think that I am making myself clear. I was promised a place. Two weeks ago I was informed that this was not the case. It is very hard for me to find alternatives when kindergarten already started and all Tagesmutter are booked out. If I would be employed, I would have to quit my job. 

I want to speak with the press because it is unacceptable that this is happening. I have no other alternatives now. I would have should I have been informed before. 

[Proton Anna 63]

Also, there are free places in a Kita 12 km away. I am willing to drive to and back, and they still wouldn't take my kid. Why not call the press on this? 

[snowingagain 5,205]

2 minutes ago, Proton Anna said:

Also, there are free places in a Kita 12 km away. I am willing to drive to and back, and they still wouldn't take my kid. Why not call the press on this? 

It is a different Gemeinde?  

 

[vivanco 173]

17 minutes ago, snowingagain said:

It is a different Gemeinde?  

 

Shouldn't matter. I know of Gemeinde in Niedersachsen supports for kita in hamburg. Sometimes simple stuff are quite broken in Germany and one have to live through it. 

[snowingagain 5,205]

21 minutes ago, vivanco said:

Shouldn't matter. I know of Gemeinde in Niedersachsen supports for kita in hamburg. Sometimes simple stuff are quite broken in Germany and one have to live through it. 

They do not have to though.  Both places have to agree, and figure out the funding, and if the other place is worried about having enough local provision they are unlikely to do so.

[Proton Anna 63]

1 hour ago, snowingagain said:

They do not have to though.  Both places have to agree, and figure out the funding, and if the other place is worried about having enough local provision they are unlikely to do so.

They don;t agree. This is why I want the press.

[fraufruit 41,963]

Again, what do you think the press will do for you?

[catjones 1,658]

1 hour ago, fraufruit said:

Again, what do you think the press will do for you?

 

Does she think the press will find a teacher when the school cannot?

[maxie 602]

To further elaborate on what @fraufruitwrote

What do you expect to happen? 
If the kindergarten does not have a spot, what do you expect them to do? Most kindergartens have problems getting staff. Most of them do not have enough spaces for what the federal government promised parents: A full time spot for all children over the age of two. 

 

There is a legal maximum of kids one kindergarten teacher can take care of / be responsible for. Do you expect them to violate this? 

There is a maximum of children allowed in a room depending on size etc. Do you expect them to violate this? 

 

Maybe there was a child that was not quite ready for school yet and will stay in kindergarten for another year. 

Maybe some other family moved to the village just before you did. 

 

I know this sucks but I don't know what the press is supposed to do. This is a problem dozens of parents have every day. I know that does not make it better, but it is a fact. It is not newsworthy. A kindergarten that is not at your residence does not have to accept your child. Local politicians and kindergartens cannot change the fact that there is no staff to be found. It will take years for the shortage to be reduced. Some kindergartens had to cut hours because they cannot find staff. 

 

[Proton Anna 63]

11 minutes ago, maxie said:

To further elaborate on what @fraufruitwrote

What do you expect to happen? 
If the kindergarten does not have a spot, what do you expect them to do? Most kindergartens have problems getting staff. Most of them do not have enough spaces for what the federal government promised parents: A full time spot for all children over the age of two. 

 

There is a legal maximum of kids one kindergarten teacher can take care of / be responsible for. Do you expect them to violate this? 

There is a maximum of children allowed in a room depending on size etc. Do you expect them to violate this? 

 

Maybe there was a child that was not quite ready for school yet and will stay in kindergarten for another year. 

Maybe some other family moved to the village just before you did. 

 

I know this sucks but I don't know what the press is supposed to do. This is a problem dozens of parents have every day. I know that does not make it better, but it is a fact. It is not newsworthy. A kindergarten that is not at your residence does not have to accept your child. Local politicians and kindergartens cannot change the fact that there is no staff to be found. It will take years for the shortage to be reduced. Some kindergartens had to cut hours because they cannot find staff. 

 

I expect to be given one of the free places in the Kindergarten in the next village.

I expect, if there are indeed no places, not to be notified 2 weeks before but in advance so I can make other arrangements.

I expect this to get some publicity so it doesn't ha[[en to other parents.