The employment situation at kindergartens in Reykjavík has worsened since last fall when many employees quit, some to resume their studies. Dozens of positions are left unfilled and yesterday children were sent home due to lack of staff.
“We sent children home for two weeks in mid-December and yesterday we also had to send children home for two weeks,” director of Jörfi kindergarten in Reykjavík Arndís Árnadóttir told Fréttabladid.
“We have advertised for employees. Now we have to review this situation and decide whether we will continue to send children home or whether we will manage to acquire qualified people,” Árnadóttir said, adding that Jörfi also needs a divisional manager which has never happened before.
Personnel manger for Reykjavík City Kindergarten Department Ingunn Gísladóttir agrees that the situation at the capital’s kindergartens is not nearly good enough. “We don’t have any exact numbers, but we lack many employees.”
“We have made a plan on how to organize things in a few kindergartens, but maybe that plan will never be executed,” Gísladóttir said, explaining that with the continuous problem of lack of staff the situation is expected to worsen still.
Gísladóttir added that her department is investigating how many children are on waiting lists for slots at kindergartens. She is doubtful that they will be given a slot in the near future considering the current situation.
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