Mönchengladbach Takes Steps to Entice Kindergarten Staff
Mönchengladbach, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has been addressing the shortage of early childhood educators by implementing a variety of strategies over the past few years.
In 2019, a gap of 723 educators was identified over a five-year period. To combat this, the city launched international recruitment campaigns, targeting qualified educators from Spain and other countries. This approach resulted in the recruitment of 32 educators from Spain in 2020, who were well-trained but had limited employment opportunities in their home country.
To further support these new educators, the city provided them with apartments for the first six months and placed them in kindergartens of three providers. Today, five years later, 18 of these educators remain employed in the city.
The city's efforts extend beyond international recruitment. Mönchengladbach has been participating in the QiK project ("Qualität in Kitas stärken" / Strengthening Quality in Daycare Centers), a federal initiative improving childcare quality and professional development. The city also offers training and qualification programs for career changers, attracting professionals from various industries such as sales or gastronomy.
A notable initiative is the remunerated practice-integrated training (PIA), which resembles dual training. Participants work 20 hours per week in an institution and attend a vocational college. Since 2021, 65 individuals have been retrained as educators through the city's PIA program.
Klaus Röttgen, head of the department for children, youth, and family in Mönchengladbach, attributes this success to a bundle of measures. He emphasises that despite the successful recruitment of specialists, Mönchengladbach still needs new and motivated educators.
The city's service-oriented approach includes providing information events, operating a hotline for interested individuals, and mediating internship places. Christoph Cleophas, team leader for personnel recruitment, describes this approach as being crucial in attracting potential educators.
Since 2024, Mönchengladbach has been participating in the state project QiK, which offers a two-year practical training in a kindergarten plus theoretical instruction. This project targets people without completed vocational training and has led to great satisfaction among providers and participants.
By the end of 2024, more than 700 early childhood educators had been hired in Mönchengladbach. The hotline for people interested in kindergarten professions can be reached at 021 61/25 34 84.
Röttgen explains that a decisive factor in the recruitment of specialists was the positive atmosphere in Mönchengladbach. The city continues to look beyond the industry for potential educators, demonstrating a commitment to providing quality childcare for its residents.
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