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Daycare costs are rising: Aalen is planning massive savings measures from 2026!
Aalen is planning higher costs for daycare centers from 2026 as a cost-cutting measure due to a budget deficit of nine million euros.
Daycare costs are rising: Aalen is planning massive savings measures from 2026!
In the city of Aalen, income and expenses in the area of child day care are on the agenda, and not without reason. Aalen has a budget deficit of around nine million euros, which forces the city to take savings measures. From September 1, 2025, care for daycare children will be more expensive, and this will have a noticeable impact on the families affected. According to the Swabian Post There will be savings of around 1.2 million euros annually in childcare, which will take effect from January 1, 2026. These savings are to be achieved through a combination of reduced expenses and higher income from childcare fees and daycare meals.
However, Katja Stark, head of the Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Family, assures that the city will not compromise on the number of places or the types of offers. Nevertheless, an increase in meal allowances is planned in two steps. From January 1, 2026, the flat rate will increase by five euros and from January 1, 2027 again by five euros. The current cost of meals is between 85 euros for lunch and 110 euros for breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack.
Financial implications for families
The change doesn't just affect meals: kindergarten parent contributions will also be increased by 7.3 percent from September. An example shows the effects clearly: A family with a child under the age of three currently pays 798 euros for 55 hours of care. These increases have a direct impact on the families' budget and correspond to the framework conditions regulated in the Social Security Code, Book 8 (SGB VIII). SGB VIII sets demands and requirements for child day care and enables children to receive support until they start school, which is crucial for early childhood development and the compatibility of work and family. Ostalbkreis provides information about the regulations for child day care and the associated entitlements of parents.
The city included the 24 daycare providers in the consolidation process to ensure a fair distribution of the savings. The focus is also on skilled workers and their recruitment: around 200,000 euros will flow into further training measures for additional staff in order to strengthen the specialist staff and ensure that the quality in the daycare centers is maintained.
It remains to be seen how affected parents and families will react to the announced changes and whether there may be alternative ways to overcome the challenges. However, it is clear that from the city of Aalen's perspective, these measures are necessary in order to reduce the deficit and at the same time not endanger child care.