Inclusion - Vienna's Municipal Kindergartens with 499 Places Too Few

In Vienna, around 500 places are missing for children with increased or intensive care needs. This was reported by City Councillor for Education and Youth, Bettina Emmerling (NEOS), on Wednesday during the question hour of the state parliament. She explained that this is the result of a current survey on inclusion places. Recently, significantly higher numbers were reported in the media. It was reported that 1,500 affected children could not be offered a place.

These numbers were taken from an internal list for demand management at the time, the councillor explained. This list recorded how many capacities would be needed in integration groups or therapeutic groups. The listing also served as a basis for further training and education. However, it was not intended as a basis for the allocation of places in the municipal area.

Kindergarten Year with 499 Cases

She has now commissioned the current collection and consolidation of the numbers. After completing these calculations, it is clear that for the kindergarten year 2025/2026, there are 499 children who could not be offered a place. "On the one hand, this is still too many," she noted, but at least there are now corrected data. According to Emmerling, the previous data distorted the picture.

According to the councillor, a legislative amendment made in 2024, which would make it easier for private providers to implement inclusion in everyday life, also had an impact. In the meantime, more than 900 children are being cared for accordingly there. They no longer appear on the list. At the same time, it was emphasized that places in the municipal area should also be expanded.

Greens Demand Explanation

The Greens speculated that the new numbers are intended to gloss over the situation. Because the 1,500 children were also official figures from the city, shared the deputies Julia Malle and Felix Stadler. Where the new numbers come from and how the list was "corrected" is completely unclear. The Greens called on Emmerling to transparently explain the criteria by which these figures were determined.

(APA/Red)

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