A corresponding proposal will be on the committee's agenda at the end of November 2007.

At the kick-off event for child and family-friendly Salzgitter, Klingebiel announced his intention to reduce the remaining parental contributions for attending day-care centers in Salzgitter in a family-friendly manner following the introduction of the last year of kindergarten free of charge by the state of Lower Saxony. He anticipates additional annual costs of 540,000 euros for the city.

In terms of educational policy, the aim is to ensure that every child in Salzgitter can attend kindergarten from the age of three. The financial exemption for parents in the last year of kindergarten by the state is an important step in the right direction. However, in order to enable as many children as possible to attend kindergarten from the age of four, the financial relief must already take effect in the first year of kindergarten and also take into account the special situation of families with several children of kindergarten age.

Klingebiel: "We want to meet this challenge in Salzgitter on our way to becoming one of the most child- and family-friendly cities in Germany. The development of the skills of children from disadvantaged backgrounds should be strengthened through preventative settings in and around daycare centers in order to improve the educational opportunities of children. This early support lays the foundation for a better start at school and the possibility of higher school qualifications, as Salzgitter still has some catching up to do in this area compared to the rest of the country, which is now to be reduced.

There are currently 44 day nurseries in Salzgitter with a total of 133 groups. There are 3,009 places available for three to six-year-olds. According to the 2006 school entry statistics, 87 percent of children with a legal entitlement to a kindergarten place attended this facility for at least one year before starting school.

In Klingebiel's opinion, a population with high educational qualifications has a positive effect on Salzgitter as a business location, and this is where we need to start. "In terms of educational policy (education and support), one hundred percent utilization of the day care centers over three years is desirable," emphasizes the Lord Mayor.

An overview of the financial relief planned for 01.12.2007: