Day-to-day child care proves to be a challenge - Teuber acknowledges the difficulties in providing full-time care
In Rhineland-Palatinate, Education Minister Sven Teuber has discussed plans for a phased implementation of full-day care for first-graders in schools, including the city of Mainz, starting from the 2026/27 school year.
This initiative aims to improve childcare availability, support working families, and promote equal opportunity from early education stages. Minister Teuber emphasizes the importance of this move, highlighting the benefits for parents and the potential positive impact on children's learning conditions.
The state government is actively working to support municipalities in offering enough full-day care. A joint working group, supported by Teuber's ministry, is working to facilitate the expansion of full-day care. The success of this expansion is being monitored by this working group.
While construction progress may face delays in some areas, the extension of the deadline in Berlin has been successfully secured, allowing municipalities to make progress in construction. Space constraints make it challenging to provide full-day care in elementary schools, but offers can also take place at other locations.
Schools in Rhineland-Palatinate are becoming more of a place of encounter and are being envisioned as a "neighborhood center". Sven Teuber believes that schools should not be thought of only in individual rooms, but in areas. This approach could potentially accommodate full-day care offerings more effectively.
The offer of full-day care varies greatly regionally, with current availability standing at 91% for children in Rhineland-Palatinate. Sven Teuber's own children enjoy going to a circus camp, suggesting that external locations can be suitable for full-day care.
As we approach the 2026/27 school year, more detailed progress reports or statements from Minister Teuber are expected to be found in regional education ministry publications or local Mainz news. If needed, I can help keep monitoring for exact updates or official statements from Minister Teuber as the implementation date approaches.
- Minister Teuber's initiative for full-day care in schools, inclusive of vocational training opportunities for children, could be a key component in the community policy aimed at fostering education-and-self-development and learning, as envisaged in the expansion of schools as "neighborhood centers" in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- To make the most of the planned implementation of full-day care in the 2026/27 school year, vocational training programs can be incorporated within these extended learning hours to ensure comprehensive education and skill development for children, in line with the broader objective of promoting equal opportunity from early education stages.
