The proportion of unskilled workers in Danish daycare institutions has seen a significant increase since 2019. While the number of trained educators has risen by just 10 percent, the number of unskilled assistants has surged by a substantial 41 percent. This data has been reported by DR Nyheder, based on information collected from the majority of municipalities in Denmark.

This development is raising concerns among the educators’ union, the Danish Union of Early Childhood and Youth Educators (BUPL). Chairperson Elisa Rimpler emphasizes that, although unskilled staff members can demonstrate empathy and care, they risk lacking the necessary skills and training in situations that demand pedagogical expertise.

The beginning of the year marked the implementation of minimum staffing ratios, which mandate that there must be one adult for every three children in nurseries and one adult for every six children in kindergartens. This initiative emerged partly from the parents’ movement “Where is an Adult?” and became part of the national budget law in 2021.

Since the introduction of this law, municipalities have been continuously collecting data on staff numbers in these institutions. However, at the start of the new year, a decision was made to eliminate detailed reporting for each individual institution. Instead, an average report will now be generated for each municipality. This change was implemented to reduce bureaucracy and free up more time for staff to focus on the children, according to the Danish Municipalities Association (Kommunernes Landsforening).