Basics
What is nursery?
In Germany, children can be looked after from the age of 1 year.
This is called child day care. This is also called nursery.
People who know children very well work in the nursery.
They are called educators.
There are many childcare options in Hamburg.
The two main options are:
Kita
Tagespflege
In childcare, a distinction is made between two age groups:
Nursery
Day care
Why is nursery important for a child?
Before children go to school, they should be able to do certain things.
These are the things they learn in the nursery. For instance: :
- Independence
- Observing rules
- Listening to others
- Answering questions
- Finding their way in a group
- Being attentive
In addition, children make friends and learn a lot of new things in the nursery.
Parents are then free to go to work or study.
Legal right: Who is allowed in the nursery?
In Hamburg, all children from the age of 1 have a right to a nursery place.
Childcare for 5 hours a day with lunch is free of charge for parents.
If the parents are:
doing an apprenticeship,
studying,
working,
taking a German course
more hours can be requested.
The children can then be looked after for up to 12 hours.
Refugee children also have a right to attend a nursery in Hamburg.
They can go to the nursery if they have been living in Germany for longer than 6 months.
They can also go to the nursery once they have left the initial reception centre.
How much does the nursery cost?
Most of the costs for the nursery are covered by the City of Hamburg. It creates nursery vouchers for this purpose.
If the child is at the nursery for more than 5 hours, the parents have to pay something: the parental contribution.
Whether and how much money parents have to pay varies:
- – Those who have a lot of money pay more.
- – Those who have little money pay little or nothing.
You can find out how much you are likely to have to pay in the contribution calculator.
Important: Unlike in school, attendance is not compulsory in the nursery.
However, your child should come to the nursery regularly.
So it becomes part of the group.
If a child is absent for a long time without a reason, the nursery must report this to the authorities.
The authorities can then declare the voucher invalid.
Who can help me?
- Help with filling out applications
- Help with finding a nursery place
- Accompanying families to government agencies
- Counselling
Parent-child centres, parent schools, child-family centres
- Playing and learning sessions for children
- Parent-child activities
- Counselling
- Questions about the nursery voucher
- Number of childcare hours
- Nursery place verification procedure
- Reporting new address/relocation
