The city of science is sounding the alarm because the federal government is ending support for language acquisition for children from families with a migration background in day-care centers this year.

“The withdrawal of the federal government from the funding of this absolutely important and successful program for early childhood education and participation is very regrettable.

This program has made a major contribution to increasing the quality of educational institutions and to equal opportunities and should definitely be continued," said Barbara Akdeniz, Mayor of Darmstadt (Die Grünen).

Jochen Remert

Airport editor and correspondent Rhein-Main-Süd.

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There are currently 18 of the so-called language daycare centers set up with the help of the federal government in Darmstadt. An additional specialist works there to promote the language development of children of foreign origin who are growing up bilingually.

There is also specialist advice that accompanies the language day-care centers in an advisory capacity.

Since July, however, it has been clear that the 2023 federal budget no longer provides for subsidies for daycare centers in the municipalities.

"Language is the key to the world"

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, headed by Lisa Paus (Die Grünen), confirmed to the FAZ that the funding will expire at the end of the year.

The language day-care center program, which was funded with around 200 million euros annually, was limited from the start.

Federal funding programs are always designed for a specific period of time, especially since the responsibility for day care and early childhood education lies with the federal states.

However, they could continue to use the structures that had been set up.

From the point of view of the federal government, it goes without saying that the federal states will also assume the obligation to provide funding.

However, the states could already use the opportunity to use money from the Good Daycare Act to continue the language daycare program, the spokeswoman went on to say.

Two billion euros would be available from this law in the next two years.

It is up to the countries what priority they set in terms of early childhood education and how they continue to support language education.

In January, however, the ministry still said: “Language is the key to the world – and the prerequisite for social participation and a successful education.

With the federal program, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs promotes language education that is integrated into everyday life as an integral part of child day care.”

In Darmstadt, according to the information, more than 25 additional women and men have been trained and certified as specialists for multilingualism in the family, day care center and school in the past six years.

If federal funding ceases, it will mean an “enormous step backwards” for daycare centers in Darmstadt and throughout Germany, Akdeniz sums up.