Early childhood education: Study on daycare quality: Specialist quota varies by place of residence

According to a study, the proportion of daycare centers in which many pedagogically qualified specialists work has decreased in most federal states. In the case of the specialist rate – an essential factor for the quality of daycare centers – the differences among the federal states are significant, as can be seen from the “country monitor early childhood education systems” of the Bertelsmann Foundation. And also within the individual countries, the specialist rate varies significantly depending on the place of residence in cities and circles.

Analysis sees trend towards falling qualification level

Because specialist staff are missing and municipalities are under cost pressure, the trend of falling specialist rates continued – because more and more people from other professional groups are likely to take on pedagogical tasks.

In five federal states, as of March 1, 2024, according to the analysis, there was a slight increase in daycare centers with a high level of specialist force, the largest plus recorded in Saxony.

In all federal states, people without professional qualifications are now also referred to as specialists to different levels, as the foundation criticizes. The concept of specialist should not be softened. There is a tendency towards “de-professionalization” and thus a “structural lowering of the qualification level”.

East German countries in front and Bavaria behind

If you look at the specialist rate, the average share of specialists in all pedagogical people per daycare center is particularly low in Bavaria – there it is only 54.5 percent. The most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia is a midfield with 74.1 percent.

Thuringia cuts particularly well-with an average of 94.3 percent per daycare team. In the East German countries, the specialist quota looks significantly better at 87 percent than in the west with a level of 69 percent.

More precisely with the help of four categories

According to the study authors, it is meaningful if you are divided into four categories, starting with a weak specialist rate of less than 50 percent. The highest category is then 82.5 percent and more per daycare center – this means that at least 82.5 percent of relevant qualified specialists are mathematically in a daycare center.

In Bavaria, most daycare centers have to make up for less than 50 percent among all federal states with the very low share of the specialist – the quota is 31.5 percent, which corresponds to 2,997 daycare centers.

On the other hand, if you look at a high specialist rate of at least 82.5 percent, Bavaria is the bottom of only 3.6 percent of daycare centers that achieve this good proportion, followed by Hamburg with 14.0 percent. The leaders are Thuringia (89.7 percent), Saxony (85.9) and Brandenburg (81.2).

Who is considered a specialist with a formal pedagogical qualification?

According to the foundation, social worker, social workers, educators, childhood educators or curative teachers and curative teachers have a relevant university or technical school qualification and thus the formal educational qualifications. The connection between the specialist rate and daycare quality is scientifically proven.

Depending on the federal state, the regulations are very different from those who can work in the daycare center without formal educational requirements. The foundation demands that the federal states define the specialist strength and the federal and state governments permanently invest in the quality of early childhood education.

Detailed view of circles and cities

If you look at the specialist rate even more detail at the level of the 400 circles and independent cities in Germany, there are also significant differences.

An example: A high specialist rate of 82.5 percent plus in the Bavarian district of Augsburg only reached 2.3 percent of daycare centers – last place nationwide. The Thuringian district of Sömmerda comes to the highest proportion (94 percent of daycare centers) in Germany.