We must improve the conditions and wellbeing of staff in public childcare facilities to enable them to provide safe, enjoyable, and nurturing activities for children on a daily basis.

The municipality of Tórshavn has already been presented with numerous options to enhance the public childcare sector and improve the wellbeing of children, pedagogues, and assistant staff.

Employees, interest groups, and others have spent years meticulously outlining what needs to be done to resolve these issues. We must recognise the gravity of the situation, break the silence that surrounds the sector. And then we need to act.

Childcare is more than just spending time with children

While continuing to educate more pedagogues and upskill employees is vital, our immediate focus should be on improving conditions for current staff.

More time needs to be spent with the children, which is why other essential support functions, such as kitchen, cleaning, and managerial services, should be considered supplementary to the mandatory minimum staffing requirements for time spent with the children – not a substitute for it.

We also need to increase the minimum staffing ratios per child and allocate additional hours for support functions, preparatory work, and all the essential tasks required to provide compassionate care in kindergartens.

Physical conditions need improvement

The average age of public childcare facilities in the municipality of Tórshavn is 35 years. Too few resources are being allocated to maintaining these facilities, and their condition has deteriorated as a result.

Childcare centres require prioritised funding for both indoor and outdoor maintenance, and group sizes in each kindergarten should be reduced.

Every day in a kindergarten should be safe, enjoyable, and enriching

Every child has the right to a safe and carefree environment, and the caretakers deserve the best conditions, along with sufficient time to provide this. This is especially crucial for children with additional needs.

Although the demand for staff to care for children with additional needs has steadily increased over the past few years, funding has remained stagnant at 10 million DKK annually. Meanwhile, salaries have risen, meaning fewer hours are available to meet these growing demands. As a result, more children are being left without the support they require.

The allocated funding for children with additional needs should be increased to at least 15 million DKK per year.

Children are our most precious belonging

A childhood grounded in a sense of significance and safety provides the strongest foundation for a child to blossom throughout life.

Public childcare facilities are no longer up to standard, and additional funding is urgently needed to revitalise them. The solutions outlined above are just some of the immediate actions we must take. We cannot afford not to.

In the coming four years, we need to focus our attention on the structures that uphold our society.

We need new leadership in the municipality of Tórshavn.