From early morning, educators and teachers gathered at centers such as Arco Iris Nursery School, CEIP Doctora de Alcalá, and La Escuelita, distributing information to families and chanting slogans like “We don't babysit, we educate” or “Lower the ratios now.” The protest, supported by CGT and CCOO, has spread throughout the Community of Madrid.
“"With eight babies aged 0 to 1 year, one person cannot do their job well. It's not just about changing diapers or feeding. We are talking about supporting emotional, cognitive, and affective development at a decisive stage. And that requires time, attention, and dignified conditions."
Workers denounce an unsustainable situation characterized by high ratios, low salaries (between 1,080 and 1,100 net euros per month), lack of professional recognition, and an increasing bureaucratic burden. These conditions, they assert, prevent them from offering quality educational care at a crucial stage for child development.
The Labor Platform for Nursery Schools estimates strike participation at 41% regionally, with peaks over 60% in indirectly managed centers. The Ministry of Education, for its part, reduces this figure to 31%. Despite the disparity in data, the conflict has strongly entered the Madrid educational agenda, creating a demanding and pedagogical atmosphere in Alcalá.
Families in Alcalá, although affected by daily reorganization, show understanding for the educators' demands. The strike, intended to be continuous, seeks to maintain institutional and social pressure through a calendar of mobilizations that includes local actions and protests in Madrid capital, such as a pot-banging protest in front of the Ministry of Education and a performance planned for Plaza de Callao.
The main demands focus on reducing ratios (from 8 to a maximum of 3 babies per educator in the 0-1 age group), salary improvements, real integration of the 0-3 cycle into the educational system with greater public investment and less outsourcing, and improved infrastructure and working conditions, including adequate climate control and reduced bureaucratic burden.
