Approximately 4,000 training opportunities are available in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

Title: Kindergarten staff crisis in NRW: Days gone by, and nowhere to escape

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), kindergarten educators are hard to come by, despite the pressing need. Our site has exclusive numbers on this pressing issue.

By Anne B., Martina K., and Amber B.

Tale from the trenches

Henning M., a high school graduate, aspired to become a kindergarten teacher. However, it wasn't easy to land a suitable training spot — even with the shortage of educators that NRW faces. Without insider connections, it practically impossible, he says. He managed to secure a so-called PIA (Practice-Integrated Educator Training) position at the Paul-Spiegel vocational college in Dorsten, thanks to a contact.

Scant training positions

The NRW Ministry of Education has increased the number of school places for educators in recent years, but these aren't connected to training positions in kindergartens automatically. On the contrary, many providers find the PIA model unappealing since the trainees are only in kindergartens for two days. Moreover, many kindergartens are staffed adequately, so they don't want to take on the additional burden of training and associated costs.

Spotty success for alternative training options

PIA is comparable to dual training in trades—combining lessons and work in an operation, and paid. What sets it apart is that educator trainees receive a bachelor's degree after three years of training. Henning M. finds learning easy because he has already completed high school and is well-organized. However, many in his class were taken aback by the amount of theory involved. As a result, the dropout rate is high.

Annemarie R.-P., Henning's classmate, wanted to start a PIA training course, but she couldn't find a practical position in a kindergarten in Dorsten or the surrounding towns. Since she's passionate about working with children, she opted for full-time training instead. The downside is that she doesn't receive any compensation for the first two years. So she applied for BAföG (Federal Training Assistance Act), but she had to wait nine months for it. The lack of cash and delayed BAföG payments are additional reasons why training positions in NRW remain unfilled.

A partial solution: Supervised training

Emily F. is completing a practice-integrated training as an educator at the AWO Bonn/Rhein-Sieg daycare center "Farbenspiel" in Eitorf. She benefits from having her trainer Birgit S. nearby as often as possible. Birgit S. answers Emily's questions and helps with uncertainties. The contract stipulates that Birgit S. receives extra time from her employer for this, and she is specially trained for the task. The provider picks up the tab for this in the 18 AWO daycare centers in the Bonn/Rhein Sieg area.

The shortage in numbers

According to recent figures from the NRW Ministry of Education, there were 8,176 school places available in educator training courses across all five government districts this school year. However, 2,860 places remained unfilled, which corresponds to 26 percent. There's also a shortage of applicants for childcare roles—more even than for educator training, with 1075 out of 1,661 places unfilled, amounting to 16 percent.

The storm is coming

The German Youth Institute and TU Dortmund issued a study predicting that up to 20,200 educators could be missing by 2030 in NRW daycare centers. Study leader Prof. Thomas Rauschenbach is concerned that so many training places in this area remain unfilled while the demand will continue to grow in the coming years. However, he is also optimistic about small glimmers of hope, such as AWO's approach to better supporting trainees to prevent dropouts.

The view from the top

NRW Family Minister Josefine Paul (Greens) wants to better support trainees, ensuring they don't drop out due to training-related difficulties. However, the specific strategies or concepts haven't been specified yet.

The ripple effect

As a result of the staff shortage, many AWO Bonn/Rhein-Sieg daycare centers have had to reduce operating hours or close groups temporarily due to lack of staff. In total, more than 11,000 daycare centers operate in NRW. According to data from the NRW Family Ministry, 4,312 facilities took measures to cope with staff shortages between January and May this year — that's 38.4 percent.

Parents' plight

For parents whose children are affected, this is a stressful situation. Olga J., a single mother living in Düsseldorf, has been managing full-time work as a department manager for a care provider. However, her 5-year-old daughter Amelie couldn't attend daycare for several days in a row due to staff shortages this year. Care times have been reduced for over six months, making Olga J.'s life difficult. She hopes that politics will act to make the educator profession more attractive, as she says, "I can't take it anymore."

Our sources:

Requests to the NRW Ministry of Education and the NRW Ministry of Family
Enquiries with all vocational colleges in NRW
Interview with the Research Consortium German Youth Institute of TU Dortmund

Stay tuned for our midweek report on this issue: Westpol, airing at 19:30 CEST.

Additional coverage:Kitas have thousands of unfilled training places | our site newsKitas face difficulties | audioDaycare centers grapple with staff shortages | moreNRW promises additional 85 million for kindergarten expansion | moreNRW loosens guidelines for staff in kindergartens | moreNRW television: Westpol, airing at 19:30 CEST | more

Comments

Nico

schreibt am heute, 00:21 Uhr:

The difference is that the educator trainees receive a bachelor's degree after three years of training. - This statement is incorrect! The original statement is inaccurate, as the PiA training does not result in an academically equivalent bachelor's degree, but rather a diploma of professional education in social work. Although it carries the title "Bachelor Professional in Social Work," it is not on par with a university bachelor's degree. It is simply a newly revamped title for a profession-oriented diploma, but not an officially recognized bachelor's degree from a university. That said, the training remains valuable. However, the article should be fact-checked more accurately.

Answers[Petra]schreibt am 13.06.2022, 17:20 Uhr:

Indeed something isn't right. My daughter, a certified childcare worker, has been job hunting for a full-time childcare position in Duisburg without success. She was told they were primarily looking for "skilled workers," meaning educators. As a result, she decided to become an educator herself. She applied to four schools without success, though. At the fifth school, she finally secured a spot, but it requires a daily 30 km commute.

Answer (1)[Melanie]schreibt am 13.06.2022, 21:02 Uhr:

Unfortunately, I've heard this story too often. As a result, daycare centers may reduce operating hours or close groups for days. However, the staff shortage doesn't mean they're hiring educators—quite the opposite! They're still struggling to find help. It's a bizarre system.

Answer (2)[Nastasja Schmidt]schreibt am 14.06.2022, 11:40 Uhr:

You're right, and the fault is systemic. The Minister for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Flight, and Integration, Josefine Paul, while being a Green, lacks the necessary competence for her portfolios. It's not about what's in one's legs, but what's in one's head. Positions should be awarded based on suitability and expertise, rather than political affiliation or ideology. Unfortunately, we'll have to grin and bear Josefine Paul until the next NRW election in 2027. Until then, she'll continue to wreak havoc on our youngest citizens. The future of our country is on their shoulders, and we can't keep going at this pace. Let's hope Hendrik Wüst steps up to the plate and trains for the role of favorite son-in-law of the nation soon.

Despite the increased school places for educators in NRW, the shortage of training positions remains, as many providers find the PIA model unappealing due to the limited time spent in kindergartens.
Without insider connections, securing a suitable training spot for a kindergarten teaching position in NRW can be practically impossible, a struggle faced by aspiring educators like Henning M.
In the health-and-wellness field, mental-health issues, such as high dropout rates among educator trainees, have been linked to problems like delayed BAföG payments and excessive theory involvement in training programs.