If you don't mind, it would be wonderful if you could tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. Together with my husband, I currently live and am raising our kids in Frankfurt am Main. One of the things that you do is to help international families better understand the systems and resources in Germany, including options for childcare. Many international families have a lot of confusion around finding and accessing childcare in Germany. Could you give us a little bit of an overview of what the options are that parents can consider for their young kids?
For the slightly older children ages 3 to 6 , the Kindergarten is the main childcare option. The Tagesmutter childminder looks after a maximum of 5 children at a time in their own home or a rented space. Childcare can be possible from the age of 8 weeks but will depend on the preferences and capacity of the childminder. The care times depend on what the childminder offers and the care needs of the family. Individually adapted care times are possible. These are usually planned and parents are informed well in advance about the times in which they will be closed.
Childminders do not require a substitute when they are sick, so you will need to find alternative solutions while they are away or sick. In theory, children are admitted from the age of 8 weeks, but as a rule, children must be at least 6 or 10 months old. Depending on when a Kindergarten spot is found, the care period can also be extended by half a year without any problems.
Most children in Germany attend Kindergarten. A maximum of 21 children are assigned to a mixed-age group. These aim to give the children the opportunity to explore their own bodies, the environment, creativity and social relationships in depth.
In this way, the children gain experience and expand their knowledge in a playful way. Examples of this are language, art or forest projects and much more. If you are interested in more details about child care and especially how it works in Frankfurt, please read my blog article that also describes afternoon care for school kids. While the process is variable depending on where you are, could you tell us a few general things about how a family might go about getting a child registered for childcare?
