Child care

In Germany, you have the opportunity to have your children looked after in state-owned and privately financed day-care centers (Ger.: Kindertagesstätte or KITAS). The care by child minders or babysitters are conceivable. However, there are costs for all types of care. Unfortunately, the number of free places in the childcare is very low, which makes early registration indispensable. In most cases, you will have to wait for up to a year.

An overview of kindergartens in Germany can be found below in the links.

The German school system

In Germany, school attendance is compulsory, i. every child is required to attend school. This is usually a period of 9 years. Since the design of the education system is the responsibility of the individual federal states, learning content and performance requirements as well as school types can vary. Be sure to inform yourself on the pages of the responsible Ministry for School and Education of your state.

An overview of the Ministries of Education can be found in the links below.

Most children in Germany attend state schools, which are free. Only when visiting a private school may incur costs.

As soon as your child attends school, you will receive a letter from the school administration office of your city. If you would like to enroll your child independently at school, please also contact the relevant school administration office. Below you will find an overview of school boards and schools in Germany.