A brand-new daycare center with 120 places – but not all could be filled. The reason: a lack of staff. That was the situation faced by the German Red Cross (DRK) in Wiesbaden. The organization runs three daycare centers with a total of 60 educators. But for the newly built center in Nordenstadt on Hainweg – located in a new residential area full of young families – there were not enough qualified professionals. Parents were pressing for spots, but nothing could be done. Several places for children aged 6 months to 6 years had to remain vacant.
That changed when the DRK decided to partner with TalentOrange. In early December 2024, two academically trained early childhood educators from Colombia – Monica Daza Laiton (23) and Angela Lisbeth Cortes Montero (27) – began their recognition year at DRK: one at the Hainweg daycare center, the other in Delkenheim. In June 2025, two more Colombian colleagues followed. After one year, they will receive their official recognition certificates from the state of Hesse, becoming fully certified early childhood educators in Germany. This allows the DRK to gradually open the previously closed groups. While the new colleagues are not yet working independently, they are already taking on responsible tasks – and the children love them.
Yvonne Reichel, Head of the Daycare Division at DRK Wiesbaden, says: “The training of early childhood educators in Colombia is better than ours.” In their home country, they completed a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. “They bring both practical experience and deep theoretical knowledge; their approach is highly reflective.” Angela has thoroughly studied the Hessian Education and Upbringing Plan. Both educators are impressed by how much freedom children in Germany are given in choosing their daily activities. “In Colombia, we know that freedom is important for children, but the system doesn’t allow for flexible schedules,” says Monica Laiton. In Colombia, children are expected to learn letters and numbers at preschool age and ideally already start reading and doing math. “I really like that children here can seek out their own challenges,” says Angela Montero. “And we are here to guide them.”
The families of both young women support their step abroad – though homesickness and the challenge of working pedagogically in a foreign language do exist. The German winter was tough, as was navigating bureaucracy. “But we received support, and we have enough time at work here to learn everything,” they say.
Manfred Stein, Executive Director of DRK Wiesbaden, is very pleased to have finally found a good solution to the staffing shortage – both from a human and economic perspective. “If we have to leave daycare spots unfilled, we don’t get reimbursed for them. But we still have to cover the cost of operating this large facility.” He sees international recruitment as a highly effective model. In the educators’ home countries, the education system is underfunded, and there are not enough jobs for qualified professionals. At the same time, Germany’s staffing problem is being addressed. “We’re all fishing in the same pond; daycare providers are just poaching each other’s educators. That’s why we’re grateful for this innovative solution,” says Stein.
TalentOrange primarily recruits well-trained educators from Colombia and Namibia. Recruiters select them in their home countries through rigorous professional and personal assessments, including interviews. The educators receive a free German language course with a scholarship and are prepared within 7 to 9 months for the B2 German language exam. This level of language proficiency is required to work as an early childhood educator in Germany.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact our client advisor Adrian Bartlog or find more information here.