The reform aims to better align funding with children's needs, make financing more transparent, and provide providers with greater planning security. The reorganization implements a mandate from the 2023 coalition agreement. It was developed jointly with childcare providers and their umbrella organizations.
The Senate has approved a new funding system for the city of Bremen. This system restructures the funding of the 27 childcare providers receiving reference value funding, with an annual budget of nearly €220 million. From January 1, 2028, these providers will receive their subsidies based on a new calculation method.
The Senator for Children and Education, Mark Rackles, explains: “In the future, childcare funding in Bremen will be more closely aligned with the needs of children. Where more support is required, there will also be more staff. This strengthens our childcare centers, particularly in neighborhoods facing significant challenges. At the same time, providers will have more flexibility to offer smaller groups and high-quality care. This will benefit children, families, and childcare teams.”
What's changing
Currently, around 800 children with special needs receive additional hours of specialist support. In the future, all approximately 3,500 children will benefit from this – regardless of which daycare center they attend. Under the new system, each child will be provided with twice the usual number of pedagogical staff, giving providers the flexibility to reduce group sizes or increase staffing levels in groups with children requiring special support.
The social situation of the neighborhood will also be given greater consideration. Previously, daycare centers only received additional staff resources if their social index was above 50. This fixed threshold has been eliminated. In the future, the needs of each individual child will be the determining factor. This means that daycare centers below this threshold can also receive additional staff hours.
Furthermore, different support needs can now be combined. For example, if a child has special educational needs and lives in a socially disadvantaged area, daycare providers can take both needs into account when allocating staff. Previously, additional resources were primarily tied to the type of facility, such as regular, index-based, or specialized daycare centers.
The new financing model is scheduled to start on January 1, 2028. Further development of the new system will take place in 2027. It can then serve as a basis for the further development of financing for parent associations and daycare centers in Bremen.
Changes coming soon:
- An additional 1,070 euros annually per child with language support needs
- Funding for material costs will be increased
- Greater transparency and planning certainty
- This is how the financing is calculated
- Financing from the existing budget
- More reliable support through a bonus mechanism
Read the full press release: New daycare funding: More support for children with special needs
Source: New daycare funding: More support for children with special needs – Senate Press Office
