Kindergarten:

Improvements are needed in the area of childcare

There is a shortage of staff in kindergartens and similar facilities. Many would like to see a better childcare ratio.(Bild: mattegg - stock.adobe.com)

The AK surveyed childcare staff at the end of last year - the results make it clear that there is a need for action. 

"Working conditions have deteriorated dramatically and no one is standing up for the children" - this is just one of many worrying responses that AK Vorarlberg received as part of a recent survey of kindergarten staff in Vorarlberg. The results, which were officially presented on Tuesday, provide highly explosive fuel for the discussion about investment in this area. 1,300 employees in elementary education took part in the survey - that is one in three people in this sector. "The state urgently needs to take care of quality in the facilities," was the conclusion of AK President Bernhard Heinzle at the presentation.

"More than every second respondent stated that they were unable or only partially able to fulfill the educational mandate, and the same applies to the duty of supervision. Equally alarming is the fact that almost 70 percent of employees regularly think about changing jobs. In our view, this is truly alarming." The general conditions are now apparently also having an impact on employees' health. "50 percent say that they suffer mentally and physically or are under stress," reported Linus Riedmann, who analyzed the survey. "45 percent of those surveyed said they felt partially overwhelmed and 73 percent were often exhausted."

More qualified staff required
In order to improve the situation, employees would primarily like to see smaller groups of children and a better childcare ratio, as well as more qualified staff, more preparation and follow-up time, relief from administrative tasks and sufficient equipment and resources. On the other hand, the survey was positive in terms of training and further education: The quality of training was rated at an average of 2.0, while standard further training was rated at 1.7.

Among other things, the AK is calling on the state government to step up the training offensive, provide financial support to municipalities to enable them to provide administrative staff to ease the burden, introduce a scholarship model for training and a master plan for smaller group sizes and a better supervision ratio. "Every euro that we invest in the education of our children is returned several times over as Vorarlberg as a business location," emphasized the AK President.