Kindergarten Monitor – INSM Publishes Study About Diverging Kindergarten Fees in 100 Major German Cities
Berlin – In co-operation with Germany’s leading periodical for parents “Eltern”, INSM have published “Kindergarten Monitor”; a comparison of the annual kindergarten fees two exemplary families would have to pay in 100 of Germany’s major cities. Every two years, this study points to regional differences in the calculation of kindergarten fees.
Kindergarten Monitor was conducted by the IW Consult GmbH, a subsidiary of the “Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) Köln” and offers a comprehensive overview of the different rates charged in Germany. At the same time, the study can be understood as an evaluation of the current system that asks why different fees are charged to begin with.
As early as 2006, a joint study of INSM and “Eltern” highlighted the fact that it pays to invest into education and childcare at very low ages. Pedagogically speaking, children who are in between 3.5 and 5.5 years old are at a critical junction and good support during these ages usually means increased chances for a successful school career. This is why Kindergarten Monitor uses two different types of exemplary families: One with one child at the age of 4 and one with two children who are in between 3.5 and 5.5 years old.
An Unfair System
Unfortunately, not much has changed since the last Kindergarten Monitor in 2008. Finding out on what basis kindergarten fees are calculated still remains an intransparent business, says INSM director Hubertus Pellengahr. In his official statement on the study, Pellengahr also points to the main reason why the system developed in this unfavourable direction. Since many communities make an effort to disburden less wealthy families in comparison to their affluent counterparts, it comes to fee disparities within most kindergartens. Since calculation methods for these differences vary from region to region, in fact, from community to community, parents face regional fee differences of up to a 100 percent.
In order to illustrate this further, the two exemplary families were each split up into a medium- and a higher-income family with a gross income of 45.000 and 80.000 Euros respectively. The comparison was then conducted on the basis of half-day kindergarten care (i.e. 4 to 5 hours in between morning and noon).
The differences are striking: Oliver Steinbach, chief editor of the “Eltern” magazine points out some shocking examples: Take the difference between the average, German middle-income family with two kids and the very same family if it chooses to live in Bremen. While the mean German family averages out at a moderate 935 Euros per annum, Bremen kindergartens would charge the same family 2672 Euros. The list continues in this fashion, leading Mr. Steinbach to the conclusion that, in general, southern cities charge lower fees than northern ones and western cities have cheaper childcare than in the East.
Early Childcare Is Crucial
The INSM clearly promotes early childcare in order to prepare children at this crucial point of their development. Every child should have the same chance on early, quality-childcare. Fortunately, there have been some positive developments since the last Bildungs Monitor in 2008. Overall, childcare fares have decreased; especially for families with two kids in both income groups.
However, the fact remains that the kindergarten is not the place to distribute indirect aid money in the form of reduced or increased kindergarten fares for certain income models. The fees should be levied regardless of the income of the parents, says INSM director Pellengahr. Any disadvantages that such a system would mean for low-income families could be compensated more efficiently via the tax system. This would leave the German kindergarten landscape less bureaucratic and, more importantly, easier to understand.
As the Kindergarten Monitor shows, such regulations lead to bureaucratic confusion that leaves many parents helpless at the task of finding out the fees that apply for them. Not to mention that it makes it virtually impossible to compare such fees between different regions.. To guide parents through this jungle and to provide them with a well-researched overview is the aim of the Kindergarten Monitor.