{"id":2769,"date":"2026-03-14T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/statement-by-the-fdp-parliamentary-group-norderney-on-the-protestant-kindergarten\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:00:09","slug":"statement-by-the-fdp-parliamentary-group-norderney-on-the-protestant-kindergarten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fdp-norderney.de\/en\/statement-by-the-fdp-parliamentary-group-norderney-on-the-protestant-kindergarten\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement by the FDP Parliamentary Group Norderney on the Protestant Kindergarten"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kindergarten am Kap Needs New Structure, Reliability, and Greater Political Oversight<\/span><\/h2>\n

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“Open Concept: Everything Always Open”<\/em><\/p>\n

The FDP Parliamentary Group Norderney takes note of the discussion in the recent public Social Affairs Committee meeting with great concern, but also with growing frustration. What was described there by parents, committee members, and stakeholders is no longer an isolated incident and is not a matter that can be postponed once again. It concerns fundamental deficiencies in pedagogical work, a lack of reliability in the children’s daily routine, and significant shortcomings in preparation for school. <\/span><\/p>\n

When it is openly discussed in the committee that children lack language skills, fine motor skills, and social competencies, that is an alarm signal. When parents report that their children are in kindergarten from morning until afternoon without a reliable caregiver, without clear routines, and without a recognizable concept, that is unacceptable. And when even parents and the primary school clearly express the need for more structure, clear rules, and binding preschool work, that shows one thing above all: trust in the current practice has been massively shaken. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Problems Have Not Existed Since Yesterday\u2014They Have Accompanied the Kindergarten for Around 20 Years<\/h4>\n

From the perspective of the FDP Parliamentary Group, it is particularly serious that the current criticism is not new. On the contrary: according to our perception and the reports of many parents, the situation has been described similarly for around 20 years. Since the introduction of the open concept, there have repeatedly been the same complaints: too little structure, too little commitment, too little orientation, too little targeted support. <\/span><\/p>\n

That the criticism has never fully reached the public is, in our view, also due to a fatal reflex: Many families think they must somehow endure these three kindergarten years, then the matter is settled.<\/strong> It is precisely this avoidance that has led to too little change in the fundamental problems over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has repeatedly occurred over two decades is no longer a communication problem or a misunderstanding. There is a structural problem. <\/span><\/p>\n

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“Open Concept: Children Are Left to Themselves”<\/em><\/p>\n

The Open Concept Must Finally Be Honestly Evaluated<\/h4>\n

The so-called open concept was introduced on Norderney around 20 years ago and may have organizational advantages in times of staff shortages. However, what matters is not what a concept is supposed to achieve in theory, but what it actually accomplishes in the children’s daily lives. <\/span><\/p>\n

And it is precisely here that the assessment from the FDP’s perspective is sobering. The criticism that the kindergarten is, for the most part, more of a custodial facility than a place of reliable early childhood education has been raised for years. It has never truly been dispelled. The recent statements in the Social Affairs Committee show rather that this criticism persists to this day. <\/span><\/p>\n

A concept that has generated so much dissatisfaction over the years must not be defended, but fundamentally questioned. It must no longer be about preserving a model at any cost when parents and ultimately the children bear the consequences. <\/span><\/p>\n

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FDP Calls for Return to Fixed Groups<\/h4>\n

Children need fixed groups, fixed caregivers, fixed routines, and fixed rituals<\/strong>. Especially at kindergarten age, reliability, attachment, and orientation are not secondary matters, but the foundation of all good pedagogical work. <\/span><\/p>\n

A kindergarten must not survive by disguising structural deficiencies with the buzzword flexibility. Children must know who is responsible for them. Parents must be able to trust that their children are guided within a clear pedagogical framework. From our perspective, this naturally includes a binding morning circle, a closing circle, clear rules in daily life, and a recognizable daily structure. <\/span><\/p>\n

Preschool Work Is Inadequate\u2014This Must No Longer Be Glossed Over<\/h4>\n

Particularly serious for us is the situation regarding preparation for primary school. When children leave kindergarten without having been adequately strengthened in language, motor skills, and social behavior, that is not only a problem for the school, but a massive failure of the kindergarten itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

The FDP Parliamentary Group therefore states clearly:<\/span> “Current preschool work is insufficient. Work must finally be done here in a binding, systematic manner and with clear standards. Every child on Norderney has the right to a good start in school. This includes language support, social rules, concentration skills, motor development, and learning orderly interaction.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Those Who Are Publicly Funded Must Also Be Publicly Accountable<\/h4>\n

There is another point that can no longer be ignored politically: the Protestant kindergarten is financed through public funds and parental contributions. It is not the church that bears the main burden, but essentially the general public. <\/span><\/p>\n

From this, the FDP Parliamentary Group concludes unequivocally:<\/span> “Where predominantly public money flows, there must also be a high degree of public participation, political oversight, and transparency. It cannot be that the public sector pays almost entirely, but has only limited influence on fundamental questions of structure, quality, and direction. Politics is called upon!”<\/span><\/p>\n

The Social Affairs Committee Must Meet Regularly\u2014At Least Twice a Year<\/h4>\n

The FDP Parliamentary Group also emphatically demands that the Social Affairs Committee meet more regularly, namely at least twice a year and more often as needed. Such an important topic as the kindergarten must not only be addressed when public pressure becomes too great. Kindergarten policy requires continuity, oversight, and commitment. <\/span><\/p>\n

The FDP demands that the kindergarten be required to report to the Social Affairs Committee in the future, particularly on:<\/span><\/p>\n