Church fights for daycare centers: Financial support urgently needed!

Church fights for daycare centers: Financial support urgently needed!

On June 17, 2025, important discussions took place in Mainz, in which Bishop Dr. Karl-Heinz Wiesemann emphasized the church's ongoing social commitment to daycare centers and schools. This happened as part of a panel discussion with various church representatives, which focused on the current financial situation and the challenges in the area of ​​early childhood education. Diocese of Limburg reports that Bishop Wiesemann emphasized the urgent need for increased co-financing from the public sector, as the church is increasingly reaching financial limits.

Vicar General Dr. Ulrich Graf von Plettenberg added that the church invests considerable resources in education and training in order to maintain the quality of the daycare centers. Despite these investments, the industry suffers from a shortage of skilled workers. Dr. Sebastian Lang, the vicar general in Mainz, explicitly pointed out the difficulties in finding suitable staff for Catholic daycare centers. This problem is not just local, but also affects the entire country and describes a general dilemma in the industry.

Church institutions and their role

Another important point of the discussion was the high level of social recognition of Catholic daycare centers, which are seen as an indispensable part of the education system. Guido Assmann, the Vicar General of Cologne, informed about the establishment of a new service company that will support over 500 daycare centers in the Archdiocese of Cologne. The church's commitment as an independent provider was expressly praised by the CDU parliamentary group in the discussions. Marcus Klein, Parliamentary Managing Director of the CDU state parliamentary group, explained that denominational institutions are an important building block for society.

• Kirchengemeindebetriebene Kindergärten sind überwiegend öffentlich finanziert.
• Die Evangelische und die Katholische Kirche stellen zusammen etwa 50 Prozent aller Kitas in Deutschland.
• Ein Rechtsanspruch auf einen Platz in einem kirchlichen Kindergarten besteht nicht.

As far as financing is concerned, it varies depending on the sponsor. While the Diakonie is largely financed through donations, church daycare centers also use the funds from church taxes for various purposes. It is interesting to know that the churches in Germany have historically run daycare centers since the 19th century in order to fulfill their educational and preaching mission. Church tax works and represents that these taxes are primarily used for administrative tasks and are generally open to all children, regardless of their religious affiliation.

The requirements for the future

Finally, a clear wish was expressed for a reliable exchange about the church's commitment to early childhood education and hospital care. Gordon Schnieder, also from the CDU, highlighted the important role of churches in the community and emphasized that the continuation and improvement of these offerings is of utmost relevance in today's society.

The challenge of strengthening the church as a provider of education while meeting social expectations is definitely not an easy undertaking. It remains exciting to see how the discussions about financing and ensuring the quality of daycare centers will develop further.