Image credit: Alma Cheurfa

The system has already collapsed,” says 29-year-old kita worker, Cynthia Waehlisch. It’s the day before she attends yet another strike demanding better conditions for her and her colleagues. You can hear the exasperation in her voice: “I don’t want to have these feelings. I want to look forward to going to work.” But those days seem either far in the past or too far in the future to be attained. Daycares (and their workers) are more than on the brink; they’ve tipped over the other side. For years, Berlin has been warned of a kita breaking point – and now we’ve reached it.

At Wit’s End

Image credit: IMAGO / STPP

2026 began with coordinated strikes on January 13 and 14 across public sectors. Organised by Ver.di and the German Education Union (GEW), they aimed to apply pressure during negotiations over wages and conditions. The unions demand a raise of 7% or at least €300 monthly. But according to Ver.di spokesperson Kalle Kunkel, employers have failed to present a “concrete” offer in the negotiations. “They have hinted at a settlement at the level of inflation and an extra Schnapps on top (no joke),” he told us. “This is, of course, completely unsatisfactory, as there is still a need to make up for the period of massive price increases.”

Waehlisch has attended strikes for years despite the risks involved. “I was afraid of whether or not I could pay for my flat or for food. However, I thought it was important because I have the right.” Symptoms of burnout are increasingly common in her work due to unsustainable working conditions. “A lot of colleagues are ill after the Christmas holidays and they’re saying that it’s not enough to recover after two weeks,” she said. “I feel the same. In a few weeks I have an operation, and I’m actually grateful to have a few weeks of time for recovery.”

The problem is, the strikes themselves are taking it out of kita workers, too. After all, it’s been a long journey, and one without much support from the Berlin Senate. Finance Senator Stefan Evers labelled the movement, “senseless strikes on the backs of children and parents”, and that attitude continues to lambast kita workers with guilt, on top of the exhaustion of burnout from both work and strike actions.

They have hinted at a settlement at the level of inflation and an extra Schnapps on top (no joke)

A specific action of kita workers took place on January 27, where Waehlisch spoke. “This is the second time I’m going to be speaking alone,” she said before the event, admitting that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult to bear. Some of her colleagues struggle to keep up the momentum. Their employers pressure them to continue working. Consequently, some strikes have gotten smaller over time as fear over potential repercussions and a general sense of exhaustion spread: “People are getting tired. Conditions are rough. We feel fatigue, anger, sadness and resignation.”

But nothing is stopping Waehlisch from striking. She’ll brace Berlin’s frigid streets again and again, remaining steadfast in her commitment to improving not only the lives of kita workers, but those of the children they care for daily.

After all, kita workers know the importance of a stable early-learning environment. Rahel Dreyer, professor of early-years pedagogy and developmental psychology, also spoke out, in a taz article. “It is not the daycare centre visit itself that is helpful to children’s development, but the quality of the pedagogical work and the relationship design experienced there,” she stated. She supports the strike from a scientific point of view. “The current situation in Berlin fundamentally contradicts the basic needs and rights of children.” The scientist warned that, “children need stable caregivers and reliable structures”, and that children under three are “very vulnerable because they cannot yet properly process stress”.

Looks Good on Paper

Image Credit: IMAGO / Jürgen Heinrich

One major problem is the ratio of workers to children in kitas. They may meet the Senate’s assumption of 5:1 on paper, but the actual numbers fall far short. Waehlisch’s kita has around 75 children and – officially – 15 employees. But what’s on paper doesn’t match the real world. “In reality we are just 10, maybe seven. Every day, there are illnesses, or someone on pregnancy leave, or with a longtime illness.”

This correlates with data collected by Ver.di in November, which found that the ratio of workers per child is closer to double that of official data. According to their survey, one educator is responsible for 10.7 children under three years old, and nearly 13 children over three years old.

Kita workers voted to go on an indefinite strike in September 2024 to demand fairer worker-child ratios and for the statistics to reflect reality. However, despite 91.7% of Ver.di members voting in favour of the strike, Berlin’s labour court blocked it, citing a rule that forbids some strike actions throughout the duration of collective bargaining agreements. According to Kunkel, a court decision this spring will determine the legality of the strikes.

Of course, some Berlin politicians continue to deny the problem, despite the facts. Last fall, the Senate Department of Education rejected the ‘kita crisis’ completely. Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) pushed childcare responsibilities onto the workers and unions, claiming, “Many families have to organise alternative care options at short notice. Children lose reliability and stability in everyday life.” She added that, “the repeated work stoppages thus affect exactly those who are dependent on a functioning public childcare.”

Yet it is the ongoing, daily conditions of kitas that have consistent and considerable impacts on not only the workers’ wellbeing, but also those of children and parents. Frequently, these impacts are disproportionately experienced by women and FLINTA* people.

The Gendered Impact

Image Credit: IMAGO / dts Nachrichtenagentur

Many kitas have been forced to reduce their hours as a result of staffing shortages and illness. Those who don’t take time off continue working, despite being ill, just to keep the wheel turning. “You feel like you need to be there for the kids and for your colleagues,” says Waehlisch. Of course, gendered expectations play a role, given that the overwhelming majority of workers in the daycare sector are women. “There is this female socialisation that means that at all costs, you have to be there. You have to work. You have to push beyond your boundaries.”

This pressure has significant impacts on worker well-being. A report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) found high levels of anxiety and psycho-social risks in the health and social care sector. A survey of kita workers by Ver.di found that 91% viewed their work as stressful and nine workers were absent entirely. Additionally, 56% of parents reported frequent restrictions in kita opening hours. “If there are not enough people in the kindergarten because of illness, or because the system is too heavy, we have to cut the opening times for the kindergarten,” explains Waehlisch.

When kitas are forced to reduce their hours, it often disproportionately impacts women.

There is this female socialisation that means that at all costs, you have to be there. You have to work. You have to push beyond your boundaries.

The EU-OSHA report confirmed that women perform the majority of childcare at home. Therefore, when public services are cut through austerity, they are frequently forced to cut their formal working hours and provide more unpaid care. These effects often manifest in an intersectional way. “The people most hurt by the system tend to be those with a migration background and female workers.” Waehlisch adds that, “this care work is also often invisible.”

Without an affordable option for childcare, low-income families are especially hard-pressed to find a solution, since private options are often dramatically more expensive. It manifests as more parents staying home from work, losing independence and exacerbating gender and class inequality.

During the strike action, a petition with 3,000 signatures was brought to the seat of government in Berlin. Not a single politician came out to speak with the workers. Nevertheless, Waehlisch promises to continue the fight. “Today the motivation is on. Now it’s our exercise to bring the people on the street together and strike. I need the people around me, to bring the people on the street together and strike, to get the motivation, to be in the kindergarten, to change the system and to change the conditions.”

“Here, I feel more powerful.”