The SPD education politicians from the five eastern German states have called on the federal government to secure financing for kindergartens beyond 2026. They warn that, if the federal government cuts the funds, there will be a “structural collapse that the East has never seen before” said Matthias Hey, the SPD spokesperson for Thuringia.
The background to their plea is the rapid decline in the number of children in eastern Germany, which could force the closure of many facilities. At the same time, maintaining quality standards such as staff-to-child ratios would become endangered. The working group “Kita Ost” has issued a paper demanding that the federal financial support for staff and qualifications-already embedded in the Kindergarten Quality Act-continue unchanged after 2027. For Thuringia, this amounts to roughly 39 million euros per year.
The politicians argue that eastern kindergartens face different challenges than those in the west, due to longer opening hours, fewer closed days and higher child‑care ratios for children under three. The demand paper has been sent to Federal Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU). The SPD working group is made up of spokespersons from Brandenburg, Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
