Feldkirch to close Tisis all-day kindergarten

Feldkirch will close its all-day kindergarten in Tisis at the end of the 2026-27 childcare year, affecting 36 children in two city-run groups, ORF reports. The two practice kindergarten groups run by the local college for elementary education at the same address will remain open.

The city says falling numbers of children and the expansion of its own facilities prompted the decision. Tisis is one of Feldkirch’s smallest municipal locations, with just two groups. The city argues that larger facilities offer more flexibility in staffing and educational activities, while smaller locations with declining enrolment may find it harder to maintain standards over time.

After the closure, Feldkirch will operate 19 childcare and early education facilities with 50 groups, down from 20 facilities. In autumn 2026, 1,097 children are expected to attend the city’s facilities.

The city says every child currently attending the Tisis kindergarten will be offered a place at another municipal facility. Some families may initially need to use a facility in a neighbouring district. An information evening, individual consultations and trial visits are planned, and applications for the new places will open in February 2027. Staff will be reassigned to other city-run facilities.

Feldkirch has opened new facilities in Nofels, Altenstadt and Levis since 2022, expanded the Riedteilweg kindergarten and opened the Josefgasse children’s centre and, most recently, the Kirchgasse kindergarten. Mayor Manfred Rädler said the city wanted to secure stable, high-quality provision through its own facilities.

Fewer births and changes to childcare

Vorarlberg recorded 3,594 live births in 2025, the lowest figure since annual records began in 1961. That was a 4.2 per cent fall from 2024, the second-largest drop in Austria after Burgenland. The number of live births in the state has fallen by 37.3 per cent since 1961.

Since spring, the state has stopped funding additional kindergarten staff in 18 municipalities, saying they had disproportionately high staffing levels. It said 55 fewer children would need care across Vorarlberg this year and expected birth rates to continue falling. The funding changes drew criticism from municipalities and the opposition.

Vorarlberg’s childcare coverage is above the national average, according to the latest childcare statistics: 96.2 per cent of children aged three to five are in care, compared with 94.5 per cent nationally. Among children under two, the figures are 37.4 per cent and 35.8 per cent respectively. However, just 13.4 per cent of children in Vorarlberg receive full-day care, compared with 55.7 per cent across Austria. The state has 521 institutional childcare facilities with 1,204 groups.

Private playgroup also enters insolvency

Separately, insolvency proceedings were opened on Tuesday against the association that ran Feldkirch’s private Zottelbär playgroup, at its own request. The playgroup had stopped operating in August. Seven employees are affected, liabilities are about 66,000 euros, and 13 creditors are involved. The association said its main outstanding claims were from the state of Vorarlberg and the city of Feldkirch. A creditors’ examination and reporting hearing is scheduled for December 14.

In 2024, the association responsible for the Blumengarten childcare facility in Lustenau also entered insolvency.