Childcare
In a day-care centre, children receive early support and can make friends. Educators support and accompany them. With many different offers and exercises, children are supported in their social, emotional, physical and mental development. Childcare enables parents to work or to return to work.
Childcare in Germany
In a day-care centre, children receive early support and can make friends. Educators support and accompany them. With many different offers and exercises, children are supported in their social, emotional, physical and mental development. Childcare enables parents to work or to return to work.
Advantages of childcare
Childcare in Germany offers many advantages for families:
- Combining family and career: Through childcare, parents can continue or resume their working lives.
- Early childhood education and support: Childcare facilities offer early education and support for children in order to prepare them optimally for school.
- Social contacts: In the facilities, children can form social contacts and develop their social skills.
- Relief for the family: The care facilities relieve families and give parents the opportunity to have time for themselves as well.
- Professionally qualified care: The care facilities employ well-trained staff who look after the children with professional competence.
- Financial support: In some cases there is financial support from the state to reduce the costs of childcare.
Nursery (Kinderkrippe) ages 0–3
In Germany the term “Kindergrippe” is generally no longer used. In the past this term was often used synonymously for day-care centres or nurseries.
Today, nurseries (Kinderkrippen) are often described as facilities for the care of children aged 0–3 who are not yet of kindergarten age. Nurseries offer professional care for young children while the parents are working or otherwise occupied.
Trained skilled staff work in nurseries and look after the children’s needs and development. Various offers are provided there, such as movement and language support, creative activities and play, in order to promote children’s early childhood education and development.
Nurseries are run by municipalities or private providers and may have different opening hours. The costs of a nursery differ from facility to facility and depend on the parents’ income and the extent of care.
Kindergarten / day-care centre / Kita
A kindergarten or a day-care centre (short: Kita) in Germany is a facility for the care and support of children from about one year of age until they start school. The children are looked after in groups by trained educators and can make use of age-appropriate educational offers there. As a rule, kindergartens or Kitas are organised under municipal, church or private sponsorship and offer different forms of care, for example full-day care or morning-only care. In Germany, from their child’s first year of life, parents have a legal entitlement to a place in a day-care centre. Attending a kindergarten or Kita is for most children an important experience in forming their first social contacts and preparing for school.
Day care: flexible and intensive care
Day care by a childminder (Tagesmutter or Tagesvater) is a form of childcare outside the child’s own family. A childminder looks after one or more children in her or his own household or in rented premises. The childminder takes on similar tasks to a Kita, such as care, provision and occupation of the children. A childminder can as a rule be more flexible than a Kita, because care times can be agreed individually with the parents. In addition, the group size is usually smaller, which for some children means a more pleasant atmosphere. Day care by a childminder is a popular option for parents seeking family-like and individual care for their child.
Legal entitlement to childcare
In Germany there is no statutory entitlement to a kindergarten place or another form of childcare. However, since 2013 parents have had a legal entitlement to a care place for children from the completed first year of life if they need care in order to pursue employment, training or studies. The entitlement applies, however, only if sufficient places are available in the respective municipality or city and these are also reasonably accessible.
How you find the right support
In Germany there are various ways to find a childcare place:
- Kita search: Most cities and municipalities offer an online platform for searching for day-care centres. There, parents can search for suitable facilities nearby and find out which places are currently available.
- Jugendamt (youth welfare office): The local Jugendamt is a further contact point for finding a childcare place. There, parents can obtain advice and information on the various care options in their city or municipality.
- Recommendations: Parents can also ask other parents or acquaintances for recommendations of good day-care centres in their area.
- Company Kitas: In some companies there are also company Kitas set up specifically for the children of employees.
It is important to arrange a childcare place in good time, as places are often allocated quickly and there are sometimes waiting lists.