Power to the parents! Calling out the government on overcrowded, understaffed daycare centres

Mark Saturday April 6 in your diary as a date to make your voices heard about an acute problem across Denmark

Copenhagen has a problem with its population demographic – and for once it isn’t the eternal issue concerning the elderly becoming more … eternal.

Last month, it was reported how more families are choosing to stay in the capital, thus making Copenhagen’s schools over-crowded at a time when establishments in the regions are being shut down in droves.

And the same is true of daycare. In fact, their tendency to be overcrowded and understaffed is an issue that has become so acute that thousands will be protesting this Saturday at 13:00 in 53 towns and cities across Denmark.

Check out the details of your nearest demonstration here.

No longer the 1980s
The ‘Demonstration for minimumsnormeringer’ protesters are alarmed how the ratio of children per caregiver ratio has soared over the last 40 years to a level that is no longer responsible.

According to BUPL, the national association of children and youth teachers, 4,000 more caregivers need to be employed to address a 58 percent increase since the 1980s.

The situation prompted the national broadcast DR to make a documentary called ‘Hvem passer vores børn’ (who watches/cares for our children), which was broadcast in mid-March.

And then days later, Parliament rejected a proposal to discuss the possibility of introducing a minimum level of caregivers per child.

Avoiding the parents
But according to the concerned parents who are organising the April 6 protests, the government isn’t taking the concern seriously.

Sources close to the parents reveal that some of them feel that the relevant minister, Mai Mercardo, conveniently fell ill before a meeting with some of them over the weekend, and that she is ducking out of a chance to again meet them tomorrow on TV2.

Via social media – the Facebook page already has 25,710 members – the #hvorerderenvoksen (where is there an adult) grassroots campaign is gathering momentum ahead of Saturday’s marches as more people cite the movement.

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs