SPD on families

The SPD wants to eliminate the parental fees that still exist, first in the Krippe (nursery for under-threes) and then in the Hort (after-school care). This is meant to ease the burden on families and, in the program's view, is a further step toward fully free education.

The SPD wants parents to stop paying for nursery care. After that, after-school care should also be free. This should save families money. Meals in daycare and school should stay affordable.

According to the program, fees for kindergarten have been phased out since 2018. Two-thirds of parents, mainly those with low and middle incomes, already pay no fees, and a uniform cap applies to the rest. The remaining fees are now to be dropped in two stages. The SPD also wants to work to keep daycare and school meals affordable for parents.

The SPD wants to help municipalities build daycare centers through an investment program, so that places from nursery to after-school care are available close to home everywhere. The legal entitlement to all-day care in elementary school is to be implemented, and family centers are to be kept and strengthened.

The SPD wants to give towns money for new daycare centers. There should be enough places nearby everywhere. Elementary school children should be able to get care all day. Family centers should keep advising parents.

The investment program is meant to ensure enough daycare places in the future. All-day services at elementary schools are to be expanded by the 2026/2027 school year, which is intended to make it easier to combine work and family. The SPD wants to strengthen family centers according to need, based on a social index. One focus of counseling is to be young families and especially young mothers.

The SPD wants to expand youth work and have the state cover a larger share of staff costs. It also wants to make voluntary service more attractive and give children and young people more say in local politics.

The SPD wants to spend more on youth work. The state should pay a quarter of staff costs. Young volunteers should get more pocket money. Children and teenagers should have more say in their town.

The state would in future cover a quarter of actual staff costs in youth work. A voluntary social year should count toward later vocational training, and the SPD wants to push for higher pocket money for volunteers. Bodies representing children and young people should get the right to speak and submit motions in local councils. The state youth plan is to be developed further, with funding raised to offset the previous year's inflation.