The municipality of Pirmasens-Land intends, as part of a cross-provider cooperation, to introduce a uniform, digital communication and information platform for all municipal daycare centers (local communities of Kröppen, Obersimten, Ruppertsweiler and Vinningen), the primary schools in Bottenbach and Lemberg (operated by the municipality) and the German-French kindergarten in Liederschiedt (also operated by the municipality).

Current situation and need for action:

Digitalization in educational institutions presents municipalities with major challenges – particularly in early childhood and school settings, where technical infrastructure is often heterogeneous or inadequate. In the Pirmasens-Land municipality, the municipal daycare centers (in Kröppen, Obersimten, Ruppertsweiler, and Vinningen), the primary schools in Bottenbach and Lemberg, and the German-French kindergarten in Liederschiedt currently use different or no digital communication solutions at all.

The consequences are:

• No consistent digital communication between parents and institutions. • Increased administrative burden due to sick leave notifications by phone, paper documents, and a lack of standardization. • Lack of digital infrastructure for group and class leaders. • High training requirements when staff changes occur or substitute teachers are used.

Project goal:

The project aims to implement a central, intuitive app that is available to all parents of children in the aforementioned facilities – regardless of the specific facility or its operator. The app is designed to be used throughout the child's time in care and school, enabling standardized, accessible, and data protection-compliant communication between parents, facilities, and operators. The project addresses key objectives of the Rhineland-Palatinate state's digital strategy, particularly in the areas of "Digital Education" and "Citizen-Oriented, Networked Administration."



Funding-relevant benefits and impact; Societal added value:

• Promoting digital participation for families – regardless of place of residence or educational background. • Strengthening cooperation between parents and educational institutions through low-threshold digital communication. • Improving the quality of early childhood education by reducing the workload of professionals.

Sustainable administrative modernization:

• Centralized administration and technical support by the municipal administration (IT department), resulting in long-term resource savings and a pooling of expertise. • Standardization of data protection audits by the official data protection officer. • Reduction of media breaks through an integrated cloud office solution (LibreOffice).

Digitization of administrative and educational processes:

• Digital sick leave notification, parent surveys, appointment scheduling, and document exchange in a central app. • Relief for daycare center directors and school secretaries by eliminating routine telephone communication. • Introduction of standardized devices (iPads) and comprehensive Wi-Fi infrastructure in all facilities to ensure technical usability.





Technical implementation and infrastructure:

The platform is implemented as a cloud-based, platform-independent solution and supports common operating systems (Windows, Android, iOS). Additionally, integrated cloud storage with office functionality (LibreOffice) is available, enabling seamless editing and sharing of documents – even with parental involvement. Comprehensive Wi-Fi coverage throughout the facilities is ensured to guarantee uninterrupted and smooth operation.



Project implementation and sustainability

The Pirmasens-Land municipal administration is fully responsible for the implementation. Ongoing support, maintenance, and further development will be ensured by the administration's IT department. Training programs for staff and technical support structures (ticketing system, hotline) are integral parts of the project plan. The platform is intended to be established as a long-term digital foundation for communication in the education sector, true to the motto: "Keep it simple and smart."



Summary

By establishing a unified, cross-organizational communication platform, the IKZ network is making a pioneering contribution to digital education and administrative modernization. The project is efficient, sustainable, compliant with data protection regulations, and transferable. Funding would not only enable its implementation but also support a model project for rural areas .