16 Early Childhood Educators from Colombia for the City of Friedberg

“A valuable addition for all of us”

16 Early Childhood Educators from Colombia in the city of Friedberg

Music is playing in the gym. Children dance, swinging their arms to the rhythm and stretching their hands up into the air. They copy the movements their Early Childhood Educator Helen is making. Helen, 31, has only been in Germany for three months. The trained Early Childhood Educator comes from Colombia. There, she worked in a daycare center and, on the side, as an entertainer for children’s birthday parties. She knows exactly what children enjoy.

Helen is one of a total of 16 Early Childhood Educators from Latin America that the city of Friedberg has hired with the help of TalentOrange. The first arrived in the Wetterau region at the beginning of 2024. “We realized that the labor market had been completely swept clean,” says First City Councillor Christine Diegel. “But we have many young families and urgently needed staff for our daycare centers.” Initially, the city of Friedberg decided to hire four Early Childhood Educators from Colombia. The children, colleagues, and daycare center managers were so enthusiastic about these talents that additional recruitment followed quickly. Heide Deinet, head of the Kettelerstraße daycare center, says: “Our new colleagues interact sensitively with the children, have many great ideas for educational work, are eager to learn and independent – we are very happy to have them with us.”

Of course, getting started in Germany was a challenge for each of the Early Childhood Educators. Luiza, who arrived in February 2024, says: “It was 4 degrees cold and I didn’t have enough warm clothes. Now I’ve gotten used to the winter weather. I definitely want to stay here. Germany has become my home. I like the culture.” Her colleague Camila confirms this. She particularly likes that in Germany, children at daycare can play all day and decide for themselves what they want to do. In Colombia, they have to learn numbers and letters in daycare. Camila also loves that she has more personal freedom since being in Germany. It’s safe on the street, even at night. “Back home I’m ‘someone’s daughter’; here I’m Camila.”

Working conditions for Early Childhood Educators in Latin America cannot be compared with those here: more than 50 hours a week, no paid vacation, fixed-term contracts. This means that local working conditions are highly valued by the international talents. Ursula Kaupel, head of the Räuberhöhle daycare center, says: “We sense a very high work ethic and, at the same time, great joie de vivre. The colleagues from Colombia are never sick; they are thoughtful, helpful, approach everyone openly, and ask many questions. They are a tremendous asset for all of us.”

In this video, the city of Friedberg shares its experiences with recruiting Early Childhood Educators from abroad—see for yourself: Early Childhood Educators from abroad: How well it really works in the city of Friedberg