Wolfenbüttel: Smaller Groups in Daycare Centers Starting This Year

Wolfenbüttel slashes daycare group sizes to improve childcare quality by 2026

Daycare centers in the city of Wolfenbüttel will see changes as early as the current kindergarten year. In its latest session, the city council approved a reduction in group sizes at all childcare facilities.

This move is part of the "Demographic Opportunities Program 2030," adopted in December of last year. The initiative comes in response to declining birth rates and a corresponding drop in the projected number of children requiring care. According to city officials, the current easing of demand for new childcare spots should be leveraged to launch a quality improvement campaign, which includes reducing group sizes.

One Fewer Child per Group

The city council approved the administration's proposal—with two abstentions from the AfD—to lower the maximum number of children per group starting in the 2026/2027 kindergarten year across all 29 municipal and independent daycare facilities. In nurseries, the limit will drop from the legally permitted 15 to 14 children. Kindergarten groups will shrink from 25 to 24 children, and after-school care groups from 20 to 19. This decision aligns with demands from daycare directors and parent representatives, who have long advocated for smaller groups. The improved staff-to-child ratio is intended to enable more tailored support for each child's individual needs.

City Takes a Leading Role

Daycare directors, in close coordination with the city, will ensure that the new, smaller group sizes are not exceeded as a general rule. Exceptions may be made, however, if directors deem it pedagogically necessary to reach the legal maximum—for instance, when an entire nursery group transitions to kindergarten together, and staff wish to keep the children in the same group.

According to city officials, Wolfenbüttel is taking a pioneering role with this decision, as no other municipality in Lower Saxony has formally approved such a reduction in group sizes through a council resolution.