Forest kindergarten

“Apparently the country doesn’t care about the children”

At the Maria Saal forest kindergarten, the little ones are offered exercise, time with nature and the chance to discover things at their own pace.

(Bild: waldkindergarten.co,at)

The forest kindergarten in Maria Saal is on the brink of closure. The operator and parents blame the new Carinthian Child Education and Care Act. But the people of Maria Saal want to fight on.

The new Carinthian Child Education and Care Act stipulates that parents no longer have to pay for their children's accommodation. Even if they want to. This is precisely the issue surrounding the closure of the forest kindergarten in Maria Saal, which opened 22 years ago as Austria's second kindergarten of its kind.

Previously, the private kindergarten was financed by state funding, financial resources from the municipality and parental contributions - this is now history because the amendment to the law does not allow parents to cover additional costs. Otherwise the state subsidy would no longer apply, as explained locally. However, this means that the private kindergarten can no longer be financed, as the municipal coffers are now also empty.

Around 200 people came to fight for the forest kindergarten.

(Bild: Jennifer Kapellari)

(Bild: Jennifer Kapellari)

"It's unacceptable that I, as a parent, can't decide for myself where to have my children looked after - we would all love to pay more to save the Waldkindergarten," said Christian Pogatschnig, father of two Waldkindergarten children, at a press conference organized by the parents' initiative on Friday.

Around 200 people were present to discuss the current situation, including Mayor Franz Pfaller (SPÖ), Deputy Mayor Siegfried Obersteiner (ÖVP), Member of Parliament Josef Krammer (FPÖ) and Education Spokesperson Iris Glanzer (NEOS). Only one was missing: State Councillor for Education Daniel Fellner. "We invited him, but we didn't even get a reply," said the parents, who are calling for a change in the law and thus freedom of choice in childcare.

SPÖ mayor: "The KBBG is a mistake"
It was not only the Freedom Party, NEOS and ÖVP municipal representatives who criticized the law, which was introduced in 2023; even the SPÖ mayor grumbled: "We are just as affected as a municipality. I also accuse my own party. The KBBG is a mistake," said Pfaller, in whose municipality a 2.5 million euro expansion of the public kindergarten is currently being implemented.

With the KBBG, the SPÖ is sticking the plaster next to the open wound. We support the demands of elementary educators and parents to repeal this law. Children are not a political experiment.

Iris Glanzer (NEOS)

We are dealing with a botched-up law that was not thought through to the end. We therefore want to know from the responsible state councillor how developments should continue.

FP-Chef Erwin Angerer in einer Aussendung

Emotions clash
The atmosphere was heated, parents and the operator of the forest kindergarten, Sabine Dörfler, were emotional: "On the one hand, I am overwhelmed by all the support from you parents, on the other hand, I have the feeling that the municipality didn't fight hard enough," says Dörfler, who looks after 21 children in her private facility, visibly moved.

And what happens now? Pogatschnig has announced that a citizens' meeting will be held if state councillor Daniel Fellner does not change his mind. There was also brief talk of protests.