City of Lahnstein Announces Innovative Approaches for the Elderly Care Crisis in Lahnstein
In the city of Lahnstein, an urgent need for additional kindergarten spots has arisen due to legal requirements for daily care without interruption. The city administration is committed to addressing this issue sustainably, ensuring both legal compliance and the needs of families are met.
One of the key measures being implemented is the renovation and expansion of existing facilities. The Arche Noah kindergarten will undergo a spatial expansion onto the youth culture center, securing 15 endangered spots and alleviating parental concerns. Similarly, the St. Barbara kindergarten will be safeguarded through spatial adjustments, ensuring the 27 endangered spots remain operational.
Another crucial aspect of the city's strategy involves renovations and new financing models. The planned renovation and expansion of the Kastanienplatz kindergarten will secure the existing 25 endangered spots and add an additional 31 spots. The St. Martin kindergarten will be expanded through the purchase of the parish center at Europaplatz, retaining the 46 endangered spots and creating 85 new spots.
However, financing remains a challenge for some projects, such as the Rheinquartier kindergarten, which was intended to provide relief. No guarantee of funding has been secured, and there is currently no suitable location available for a new building. To overcome this hurdle, the city is exploring alternative financing models, possibly including public-private partnerships, state or federal funding programs, or special municipal budget allocations.
In light of the lack of progress on the Rheinquartier kindergarten, the city administration is focusing on optimising and expanding existing facilities. Through these measures, the city can create a total of 229 spots, eliminating the existing bottleneck and sustainably securing the legal care situation.
The Little Bird system, a city-wide care spot tracking system, indicates that an additional 93 care spots are needed by October 2024 to cover the legal claim, totaling 226 spots. The city's presented concept is a long-term foundation for the development of the care landscape in Lahnstein, according to Mayor Lennart Siefert.
Currently, the city's kindergarten capacity includes 42 spots for children under two years old and 757 spots for children between two years old and school entry. Despite this, 133 spots in Lahnstein do not meet the legal minimum care time. The city administration is working diligently to address this issue and provide high-quality, legally compliant care for all children in the city.
The education-and-self-development learning opportunities for children in Lahnstein are being expanded through the city's strategy, particularly in kindergartens. For instance, the Arche Noah and St. Barbara kindergartens are undergoing spatial expansions to secure and create additional learning spaces.
