© dpa
Protestant Christians, Muslims and Jews are planning a daycare center together in Berlin.
According to a statement made by district councilor Regine Sommer-Wetter on Wednesday (Jan. 26, 2022), the three-religion daycare center is to be built from 2023 on a plot of land belonging to the Protestant parish of St. Markus-Lazarus in Friedrichshain. In 2025, the daycare center could welcome the first children. There are to be 135 places in total.
According to the sponsors, what is special about the project is that three separate, religiously sponsored daycare centers are being built under one roof. The playgrounds outside are to be used by all children and a café and a library are to become meeting places. The planners explain that the children will be cared for separately: "In this way, all daycare children can first feel at home in the framework of their own religion and then get to know the other religions." It's about a form of "egalitarian difference," they say. Children with no religious affiliations could also be cared for at the daycare centers.
The construction of the actual daycare rooms, which will cost around 6.9 million euros, will be funded by the Senate. However, there would be additional costs of 2.9 million euros for things such as the shared meeting rooms and the increased security requirements. These costs are to be covered by grants, charitable foundations and donations. The project is organized by the Association for the Promotion of Jewish Education and Jewish Life, the Protestant Church District Association for Daycare Centers Berlin Mitte-Nord, and the Muslim Center Berlin.