Quality in caregiving.

For more information contact usat post@rainbowtrekkers.de

Joining the club:

For more innovation and quality in daycare centers

In addition to churches, municipalities and Germany’s main NGO’s in the welfare sector, it is above all the independent, non-profit organizations that enrich childcare in Cologne. Many of the new suppliers of childcare services that have emerged in the city in recent years are educational initiatives or committed social entrepreneurs similar to us. In order to better bring the interests of these organizations into the political discussion, a number of these kindergartens have come together in the German Kita Association (Deutscher Kitaverband). Rainbowtrekkers are among the founding members of the North Rhine-Westphalia branch within in the Kitaverband.

Deutschwer Kitaverband

The necessary expansion of day care services for children has been achieved in recent years and will continue to be achieved to a large extent in the future by expanding the number of social startups in the educational sector. Independent non-profit suppliers of childcare services make a significant contribution to the compatibility of family and work in Germany today.

In terms of content and pedagogy in particular, these independent social entrepreneurs have a special function because they can flexibly test new concepts and are the motor for innovations in early childhood education.

In practice, however, various factors distort competition; in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, non-profits as rainbowtrekkers have to generate their own share (Trägeranteil) in order to be able to benefit from state funding at all. You have to bring money in order to get money. Unlike with municipal day care centers and different from other cities in NRW, the city of Cologne has so far refused to cover the share demanded by law from the social startups. That is the reason why we at rainbowtrekkers have to finance this share through a parental contribution. Only thanks to your contribution to us our kindergartens gain the regular budget that any public kita has – not a penny more. At the same time, as a parent you are burdened twice: firstly by your parental contribution to us and secondly by the not inconsiderable amount of parental contribution paid to the municipality. One of our aims in joining the Deutsche Kitaverband was to lobby for a correction of this disadvantage.

What has been missing so far is a representation of the interests of the independent daycare providers at local, state and federal level. This is where the Kitaverband comes in: They represent the interests of the social startups in state, social and scientific committees and promote exchange with the public and politicians. The association sees itself as a partner of politics and society. Together we want to ensure ideal education and care for children.

The goal – in addition to representing its members – is above all the promotion of innovation, the further development of daycare quality and the continuous exchange about the basic challenges of social startups.

The association wants to

  • network and offer an active platform for participation,
  • articulate common interests and help shape the framework,
  • increase the status of free, independent providers of childcare services,
  • develop (further) the joint operational expertise,
  • advise on legal, financial, structural and organizational issues,
  • advocate for socially important topics.
It stands for:
  • equal rights for kindergartens regardless of their corporate status,
  • nationwide uniform framework conditions for independent childcare organizations,
  • innovative concepts to solve the shortage of skilled workers,
  • a higher priority of toddler pedagogy and the
  • improving the working conditions of educators,
  • the improvement of quality in caregiving and kindergarten administration.
Further information at: https://www.deutscher-kitaverband.de/

Members of:

Förderverein Frühe Bildung in der Kita
Transparente Zivilgesellschaft