People and Politics Forum 13. 11. 2009

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Family or Nursery: How Are Kids Raised in Germany?

Parents who keep their little children at home instead of putting them into nursery schools or kindergartens are supposed to receive an extra €150 monthly. That's the plan of the new center-right coalition to support home raising... and it's raising a storm of criticism. One key objection is that especially poorer families could put the money to uses other than the welfare of their kids. We report on the ideals and realities of preschool supervision in Germany.

Our Question is:

"Kindergarten or kept at home – what’s the best for kids?"

Kai Nicholson, India:

"In India, most parents don't have a choice. Sending children to kindergarten means cash: lots of it!"

Ruthild Bruells, in Costa Rica, writes:

"I can't picture better kindergartens or schools than here in Costa Rica. Kids aren't just kept in these nursery schools, they are taught in them and learn new things through playing in small groups with well-trained staff. My children were at home till they entered kindergaten at the age of 3. Costa Rica is rich in children but there are no extra benefits for parents raising kids at home...My youngest daughter is at school. There's no cancellations of lessons, so I can easily arrange my working hours, and there are school buses which drop kids off in front of the house, which makes things easier."

Hannelore Krause, Germany, says it’s a decision each family must make on its own:

"I think it's normally better to raise babies or children aged 3 and younger at home. I think responsible families should -- depending on their financial situation and without government benefits -- make the decision between nursery school and family themselves. Because nursery schools are still lacking in qualified personnel that can care for each individual child. But generally, children should attend kindergarten once they turn three. To cover childcare support payments, public assistance funds should be resurrected to aid families that desperately need the help."

Herbert Fuchs of Finland maintains that it’s important for children to socialize early on:

"There's absolutely no reason not to send children to a nursery school or daycare center. A child that grows up in a daycare center around other kids of the same age nowadays learns much more than he would in many families at home, where both parents have to work to support the family ... A majority of children of pre-school age learn much more than they do at home with parents who don't have the chance .. to offer their children what a kindergarten can offer. A child should learn to get along with other children as early as possible ... that can happen at home, too, but many parents spoil their children so much that they become loners."

In an ideal world, children should learn at home, said Gerhard Seeger of the Philippines:

"I think it's better for children to be brought up by the family. But many still can't make ends meet with a single source of income. That's why they bring their child to nursery school -- not because parents want to get rid of their kids. 150 euros is too little for one spouse to be able to stay at home. Here in the Philippines, we kept our son at home until I learned that a pre-school education was a condition of admission to private school ... So there was no choice but to enroll him there."

Erich Prinz, in Thailand, offers a clear-cut view:

„All I can say is that even the best mums and dads can’t replace the virtues of kindergarten!"

In Brazil, René Junghans questions the government’s reasoning:

„Offering cash incentives so that kids are raised at home seems unrealistic to me.

When parents put their kids in nursery school it’s because they both have to go to work.

They don’t want to get rid of them. Giving them 150 Euros won’t persuade these parents to sacrifice their jobs. It probably breaks the hearts of most parents to see their kids off in the morning but they need their income to survive and care for their offspring.

The money will be pocketed by people who are jobless or families with only one parent in employment.“

And Mr Junghans concludes:

„It’s not the kids, it’s these parents who will probably benefit, and that will apply especially to families with an immigrant background. In simple terms: it’s wasted money at the expense of Germany’s already overstretched taxpayers“

Ferenc Deak, in Romania, goes for the compromise:

„I think kids need both: the family and time in kindergarten.“

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