Protest of the Disbandment of Church Preschools

Denominational preschools were dealt a blow in 1941. Thuringia and Saxony, which simply generally revoked Protestant preschools’ “operating permits” on January 1 and March 1, 1941, respectively, played a seminal role.

Martin Bormann’s (1900–1945) confidential decree of May 11, 1941 extended this practice. The deputy “Führer’s” chief-of-staff made clear that the state and the movement could not tolerate denominational preschools with education based on religious principles. This issue would therefore have to be settled once and for all, expediently by revoking the government permits hitherto issued to the operators of denominational care facilities for children.

As a result, some 800 Protestant preschools were forfeited to the National Socialist People's Welfare (NSV) over the course of 1941-42 alone. Saxony, Thuringia, Hamburg, Hessen-Kassel, Schleswig-Holstein, Hessen-Nassau, Silesia, Province of Saxony, Bremen and Mecklenburg thus no longer had any or only very few Protestant preschools.

While there were protests against this change in 1941, they were rarely granted success. Congregations therefore sought alternative means to instruct children in the Bible. In the government district of Cologne, for instance, where every childcare facility had been lost, part of the staff remained in the employ of the church. These women developed special Bible instruction as parish assistants or catechists; elsewhere, Bible story hours were established for small children.