Land and district support expansion and new construction of day-care centres
The demand for childcare places in Waldeck-Frankenberg is constantly high. For this reason, the district is continuously committed to the expansion of day care for children. Recently, two funding notices were handed over for the new construction of the Protestant day care centre in Ernsthausen and the expansion of the Protestant day care centres in Battenberg and Laisa. The projects are supported by state and district funds.
A completely new day care centre with four groups has been built in Ernsthausen. In the spacious premises with care and common rooms, offices, kitchen, sanitary as well as functional rooms, 82 places are available for children aged one to six years - among others in a nature group, which are cared for and occupied outdoors every day if possible. For the nature group, an additional log cabin was built on the outdoor area of the new day care centre. This serves as a shelter for the children in bad weather and as a place to store shoes and other clothing. Depending on the weather, the children of the nature group often go to a nearby forest in Ernsthausen. The total cost of the project is around three million euros. The new building, which was completed in May 2021, was subsidised by the state of Hesse with 620,000 euros and by the district with about 544,000 euros.
The day care centres in Battenberg and Laisa are also making progress: In addition to the existing cross-age U3 groups, a new crèche group with 12 places is being created in Battenberg. In Laisa, another cross-age group with 20 places is being created. For this purpose, the buildings will be extended and expanded to provide a total of 112 places. The total costs for the two projects amount to about 1.5 million euros. The expansion is being funded by the state of Hesse with about 385,000 euros and by the district with about 152,000 euros so far.
"We are constantly expanding child day care in Waldeck-Frankenberg - with the help of the state of Hesse, but also with our own district funding," says the First District Commissioner of the district Karl-Friedrich Frese. "The investments are important in order to continue to ensure a good range of childcare services for children in Waldeck-Frankenberg." In 2021, around 1.7 million euros from the district will flow into the expansion of child day care in Waldeck-Frankenberg.