In der BBW Kindertagesstätte "Im Schlosshof" in Leipzig schauen die Kinder der jüngsten Gruppe mit der Sprachkraft und Logopädin Katharina Schreiter (r) und Erzieherin Helga Graebe (l) Bücher an, aufgenommen am 17.10.2012. Katharina Schreiter ist im Rahmen der Bundesinitiative zur zusätzlichen Sprachförderung für mehrere Stunden in der Kindergruppe und unterstützt die Kleinen in ihrer Sprachentwicklung. Aufgrund alarmierend hoher Zahlen von Kindern mit Sprachstörungen sprechen sich Forscher und Therapeuten für möglichst flächendeckende Tests bei Kleinkindern aus. Foto: Waltraud Grubitzsch/dpa (zu dpa-Gespräch: "Forscher und Therapeuten für flächendeckende Sprachtests bei Kindern" vom 01.11.2012) +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++ | Verwendung weltweit

The federal states are taking joint action against the federal government’s intention to phase out a program for language support in daycare centers at the end of the year. In a joint statement, the youth and family ministers appealed to the federal government to revise the decision against the background of the corona pandemic and the large number of refugees from Ukraine. They call for the project to be continued and “perspectively consolidated as a permanent federal program”.

“In the current situation, language training for children must also be a central concern of federal politics,” says the statement that Berlin, as the current presidency of the Youth and Family Ministers’ Conference (JFMK), published on Thursday.

Early childhood language education improves children’s educational and participation opportunities. “Putting the cuts here is also a devaluation of the work done so far for the many employees in the daycare centers.”

The step also exacerbates the already tense staffing situation in day-care centers, saying it is “incomprehensible and negligent”.

Berlin’s education senator Astrid-Sabine Busse (SPD), as JMFK chairwoman, had already called on Monday not to save on language support in daycare centers. The aim of the federal program “Language Kitas” is to support children with language needs and facilities in disadvantaged parts of the city. In Berlin alone, more than 300 day-care centers benefited from this; the scope of funding this year is around 13.2 million euros.

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A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs said on Monday that the federal government had been supporting the states “massively” for years with funding programs in the day-care center area. However, these are always limited, since the responsibility for childcare lies with the federal states.