For many years, the municipality of Gmunden has been supporting working parents during the main holidays in kindergartens and crèches in August by offering a summer kindergarten and a summer crèche. However, this year it is not easy. Due to the great burden caused by Corona in the past two years and the scarce resources, it was difficult to find supervisors. Despite the difficult framework conditions in recent years, a summer kindergarten for kindergarten children can be offered in August.
“We know that it is not easy right now, so we are all the more grateful to the teachers who have agreed to take over the care. That is not a matter of course. This means that we can offer working parents summer care for three weeks in August,” says the responsible city councilor Birgit Zwachte (ÖVP).
The path to this offer was not easy. The prerequisite for setting up a seasonal childcare facility is complete legal separation from the parent company. This means that only external personnel may be deployed. “Since December last year we have been trying to find staff with the appropriate professional qualifications. The positions were advertised on the municipality’s website, on Kindernet, in social media and at the AMS. Unfortunately without success,” says Zwachte. A letter to the BAKIP in Vöcklabruck and the help of the kindergarten staff also meant that no suitable staff could be found. The attempt via the OÖ. Aid organization and the children’s friends still have to find the appropriate skilled workers.
A letter from the municipality to the state of Upper Austria. with the request for an exceptional permit, but to be able to fall back on the permanent staff, was initially rejected. It was not until the end of April that the Education Department of Upper Austria finally gave permission to use the permanent staff if no seasonal childcare facility could be set up.
This means that the municipality can now offer care for kindergarten children for three weeks. Unfortunately, despite an intensive search, no suitable staff could be found for the crèche children.
Source: Nachrichten
