Registration starts

Plenty of kindergarten places, but there is a shortage of childminders

Parents looking for a place for their child for 2025/26 can start looking around from Friday.

(Bild: Krakenimages.com)

The main registration period for municipal kindergartens in Vienna begins on November 1. Parents get a place at the touch of a button. But while the question of "where?" is being asked in Viennese living rooms, the question of "who?" remains unanswered: The city is struggling with a historic shortage of staff. 

The main registration period for municipal kindergartens in Vienna begins on November 1. Parents have until the end of December to secure a place online for the 2025/26 kindergarten year. The exact day of registration within this period is irrelevant, as places are allocated according to set criteria such as the parents' occupation or the presence of siblings in the kindergarten. More information is available at "kindergaerten.wien.at".

Who will look after the children?
But while parents are busy registering their children, Vienna is struggling with an acute shortage of nursery school staff. The city has long since reached a historic high in vacancies. Sick leave is making the situation even more difficult, and the educational city of Vienna is struggling with new measures to remedy the situation.

Crisis mood due to lack of staff
The criticism is loud: Vienna is doing too little to combat the acute shortage of specialist staff in early childhood education. Those responsible point to the Europe-wide shortage of specialists and refer to a new package of measures. This initiative includes additional training opportunities for career changers and the restructuring of existing training. Young graduates, most of whom do not enter the kindergarten profession after their A-levels, are to be more strongly motivated to opt for a career in elementary education.

Fierce competition and poaching from the surrounding area
While Vienna is struggling with a shortage of skilled workers, other federal states offer more attractive working conditions. Lower Austria and Burgenland in particular rely on aggressive poaching methods. Here, there are not only financial bonuses, but even vacation days as a reward for recruiting new teachers. The comparatively shorter opening hours and more relaxed group dynamics make kindergartens in rural areas even more attractive.

Planning for the coming kindergarten year
Nevertheless, registering for the next kindergarten year remains an important priority for Viennese parents. The main registration period from the beginning of November to the end of December offers the opportunity to secure a place for 2025/26 at an early stage. Parents will be informed of the allocation of places by the end of March to allow sufficient time for organization.