Net for children
The network for children has been a care concept based on Bavaria since 1993 for mixed-age groups of children from two to twelve years of age. It is not to be confused with “Ein Netz für Kinder”, a joint initiative of politics, business and institutions for the protection of minors in the media , the aim of which is to create an attractive and safe surfing area for children aged eight to twelve.
Netz für Kinder is a special care model that is limited to 150 groups of 12 to 15 children across Bavaria and was set up to help counteract the acute shortage of care offers in Bavaria. The age mix is mandatory: in addition to kindergarten age (three to six years), at least one child of crèche or after - school age must be looked after . The age range of the children in care is two to twelve years. In addition to one trained specialist per "network group", the group has daily changing parenting services available.
History and demographic background
Around 20 years ago, there was a lack of childcare places for kindergarten children in Bavaria, including three-year-olds whose parents had no childcare place at the end of their parental leave until the beginning of the new kindergarten year (usually in September). Day nurseries were not yet subsidized to the current extent (monthly care costs sometimes exceeding 500 DM), spatial cooperation between day nursery, kindergarten and after-school care center was not yet permitted and demographic change with declining numbers of children from the 1990s onwards was foreseeable.
The network for children was intended as an interim solution that could be implemented at short notice, which was to create up to 2,250 childcare places nationwide in a short period of time and, with special approval procedures that were not based on the Kindergarten Act, enabled the sponsors to make moderate investments. There was no need for an outdoor play area, side rooms (e.g. function and gymnastics room) could be spatially separated from the main facility, the facility did not have to be accessible at ground level. B. a private apartment could be used without child-friendly conversion , etc.
The network group was therefore particularly interesting for the following carriers:
- Parents' initiatives with little own resources
- Municipalities that, in view of demographic change, expected the demand to last only a few years
- Clubs with limited space
- Companies that wanted to provide operational support with low financial risk for part-time employees
At the end of the 1990s, 150 groups were approved and all groups were operational. By the end of 2017, their number had slowly but steadily decreased to 71 facilities; however, in 2015, due to the division of childcare places between kindergarten (mornings) and schoolchildren (afternoons), a slight increase in the number of children looked after was temporarily observed again. In addition to demographic change, other reasons for the decline in childcare places are likely to be that the childcare situation has generally improved. Kindergarten care has largely been expanded in line with demand, daycare care has noticeably improved, and parents now have many choices. Often a problem arises from the increasing work activity of mothers who cannot easily reconcile their work with their working hours . Daycare is now also being promoted in a similar way to that of kindergartens.
Since 2005, network groups have only been an additional optional offer in addition to the duty of care regulated in Section 24, Paragraph 2 of Book 8 of the Social Code ( SGB VIII ). The responsible control body for the network groups is the government responsible for home supervision in accordance with Section 45 of Book VIII of the Social Code, which also issues the operating license. In 2017, the network groups provided 1,520 places, only a small part of a total of around 608,000 places (not including day care).
pedagogy
The educational management of the facility depends, in addition to the management, above all on the parents who work with us and their own social and cultural horizon of experience. As a result, different pedagogical approaches of the "networks" have developed.
There are groups that work on the basics of Montessori pedagogy , those that implement the concept of forest kindergartens or where the focus is on intercultural education . The profile of an institution often depends on the commitment of the parents as board members in the sponsoring associations and on their practical work.
When registering a child, not only the age structure of the group must be taken into account, but also the social skills of the parents as employees and the educational specialists who act as a link between the parents' different educational ideas. This requires a trusting atmosphere, which is characterized by mutual respect and cooperative behavior. Educational partnership between educational professionals and parents is the guiding principle of many “network for children” institutions.
criticism
- From the outset, union-related organizations and educational specialist bodies have warned of the disadvantages of this care concept. The Education Policy Forum criticizes: “… In the current economic situation, these institutions… run the risk of being abused as 'cheap solutions'… if parents are used as a substitute for qualified educational staff. ... Such all-day offers must not be restricted to 'emergency situations'. "
- The GEW misses a "real right of parents to choose between professional and semi-professional ([...] network for children)". In addition, representatives of children's shop pedagogy have criticized the fact that the positive situation of the small groups with their individual support options is “bought” through the use of untrained supervisors, the parents.
- Since the childcare concept has never left its model character, the limitation to 150 groups means that a maximum of 2,250 children can be looked after nationwide, which at the time of the earlier lack of childcare places could hardly have a positive effect.
Web links
- Information on the website of the Bavarian State Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs, Family and Women (last page in the web archive from April 11, 2017)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Funding guidelines ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the Bavarian State Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs, Family and Women
- ↑ a b Statistics as of December 31, 2017 (stmas.bayern.de)
- ↑ Statistical comparison from 2009 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (including previous years) and 2010
- ↑ Child day care in Bavaria - overview of supply rates (reference date: 01/01/2015) - statistics on stmas.bayern.de
- ↑ Pedagogical orientation and parental involvement in the network groups, described on the website of www.elternimnetz.de ( Memento of the original of 23 August 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ www.forum-bildungspolitik.de (PDF; 75 kB)
- ↑ website of gew-bayern.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
