Disrespect, aggressive behavior by children and even threats towards the staff – the descriptions of a kindergarten employee from Baden-Württemberg made waves throughout Germany.
In a FOCUS online article, the educator had reported on some massive problems with children from migrant families. Due to a lack of knowledge of German, the little ones could hardly be integrated into everyday life, which repeatedly led to conflicts and had a negative impact on the atmosphere in the facility.
In addition, some children made condescending remarks about local educators (“Don’t tell me anything, you German!”) and the unacceptable behavior of immigrant parents who do not want to comply with the rules and norms of the facility.
More than 981,000 children with a migration background in day care centers
FOCUS spoke online with Birgit Riedel from the German Youth Institute in Munich about the explosive topic, which has so far hardly been discussed in public. She has been dealing intensively with the topic of caring for and bringing up children in day-care centers for years.
The expert points out that the proportion of children with a migration background in day-care centers has “continuously increased” in recent years, especially after 2015.
In March 2022, 820,364 of the approximately 2.63 million kindergarten children between the ages of three and seven had a migration background, i.e. almost a third (31.2 percent). In 2008 there were only around 600,000.
In addition, there are 161,114 children under the age of three who are currently also being cared for in day-care centers. In total, more than 981,000 children with a migration background attend German day-care centers without after-school care centers and schools – more than ever before.
Big problem: Many children do not speak German at home
Birgit Riedel: “In this context, it can also be seen that the proportion of children with a migration background whose families do not primarily speak German has increased significantly.” there were already 548,700 in 2021.
This means that more and more children with a migration background are not learning the German language at home, but in kindergarten. In some institutions, for example in Bremen, not a single child speaks German as a family language.
If you would like to describe your experiences in kindergartens or schools, please write to us my-report@focus.of Subject: “Refugees”.
Birgit Riedel: “A high level of ethnic and linguistic segregation (Segregation of a population group, editor’s note) naturally makes it more difficult to acquire the German language and harbors the risk that children with and without a migration background will grow up in very different learning environments from the very beginning.”
The negative consequences of the language barriers and cultural differences were impressively described by the kindergarten teacher from Baden-Württemberg as well as by other day-care center employees.
Expert Riedel: Complaints from daycare centers “certainly justified”
The expert from the German Youth Institute told FOCUS online: “What the educators tell you is certainly justified. I also know such reports and do not want to downplay them.”
However, one should not forget that due to the sometimes drastically noticeable shortage of skilled workers, “day-care centers are already at their limits in many cases and the language barriers here are at best aggravating”.
Riedel continues: “It is important to support the educators, for example through the general social upgrading of the profession, but also through further training in intercultural competence, in order to be able to face such situations in a confident and considered manner.”
Riedel has a clear answer to the question of whether the German day care system is prepared for the increasing number of children with a migration background and the associated problems: “In my opinion, no. As it currently appears, the daycare system is not able to live up to the expectations of inclusion and equal educational opportunities from the outset.”
“In order to change that, you would have to start at many points: the financial resources, the attractiveness of the job and the professional development opportunities. In the expansion of intercultural competence and a positive attitude towards cultural and linguistic diversity. Resources for collaborating with parents and local communities and so on.”
Day care centers should “question traditions and attitudes”
Birgit Riedel sees the daycare system facing major challenges. It is also about “questioning traditions and attitudes”, for example when it comes to language.
“In contrast to other European countries, Germany has a monolingual tradition. Identification is via the German language. Multilingualism is not planned here for the time being, but it is now a reality in a large number of day-care facilities.”
Riedel: “Many educators are still not well prepared to deal with this, and as a result there is often a lack of a positive attitude towards both multilingualism and cultural diversity. Instead of enrichment, it is then experienced as a burden and tends to be devalued.”
“It’s about recognizing and conveying appreciation for the language and culture of origin, also as a basis for trust and encouragement of the children in their learning processes,” the expert from the youth institute continues.
Riedel would also like to see a rethink on another point: “It strikes me that there is very little diversity among educators or pedagogical staff in day-care facilities. In my opinion, greater efforts to attract and train people with a migration background for the educator profession would be an important signal.”
