Nordhorn's Childcare Crisis: Mayor Berling Pushes for Short and Long-Term Solutions
Nordhorn is facing a shortage of nursery and regular childcare places, with around 300 and over 100 vacancies respectively this year. Mayor Thomas Berling and the city administration are addressing this issue by exploring short and long-term news, including renovations, expansions, and new constructions.
The city administration is in talks with various stakeholders, such as the district administration, a parents' initiative, and facility providers, to tackle the shortage of skilled workers in education. Among the mid-term news are renovations and expansions of existing facilities, while long-term plans involve building additional new daycare centers.
Mayor Berling hopes for substantial support from the state of Lower Saxony to fund these significant investments. The administration is considering the construction of new group daycare facilities, including a seven-group daycare center that could accommodate up to 120 children. However, specific future group daycare sites in Nordhorn are still under evaluation. The administration plans to present expansion proposals at concrete locations to the social, youth, and integration committee for consultation in the next meeting.
Short-term news are also being discussed in the specialist committee. Recent decisions by the city of Nordhorn include expanding an existing facility and building a large kindergarten in the Deegfeld area. Mayor Berling estimates that 30 to 40 care places could be realized in the short term by the end of the year.
Nordhorn's Mayor Thomas Berling and the city administration aim to significantly increase the number of childcare spots in Nordhorn. They are working towards developing care offers that could be available as early as the new kindergarten year or at least by the beginning of 2019. The administration's efforts focus on addressing the current shortage and ensuring that Nordhorn's children have access to adequate childcare facilities.
