Day-care centre run by a public or independent provider

What is the difference between a public and an independent daycare provider?

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Public providers: If a daycare has a public provider, they are often institutions of the city or district. That means they are managed and administered by official authorities. Public providers usually refrain from specifying the educational orientation of the daycare, which is why it often varies from daycare to daycare. Nevertheless, public providers can set some basic principles. The costs for a daycare place in facilities run by a public provider are also not always the same. Sometimes they are set precisely, sometimes they are based on the parents' income.

Independent providers: The term "independent provider" can mean many things, since there are large differences in how such daycares are organized. Therefore, you should find out exactly what suits your child before choosing a daycare with an independent provider. Independent daycare providers can be, for example, churches, associations, or parent initiatives. They finance these partly through public funds, but also through parental fees.

What a daycare costs, we explain this on a separate page.

What types of daycare providers are there?

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Basically, one distinguishes between public (municipal) daycare centers and independent provider institutions. Not all kindergartens run by independent providers are private kindergartens, but all private kindergartens are generally under independent sponsorship. In addition, there are privately run commercial daycares that are not entitled to state subsidies and therefore largely finance themselves through parental fees.

Municipal/city kindergartens: The majority of daycares in Germany are municipal crèches and kindergartens that are financed from public funds of the respective city or municipality. The educational orientation and the care hours vary and are determined by the respective daycare management. Due to funding from public sources, the kindergarten fees for parents are comparatively low.
Kindergartens run by independent providers: Instead of organizing a daycare itself, a municipality can also transfer the sponsorship of a kindergarten to independent providers. These are often churches or welfare associations, but also parent initiatives and clubs. The independent providers receive financial resources from the municipality, but also pay a share themselves, which is usually covered by parental fees.
Company daycare centers: Company daycare centers are also almost always organized in cooperation with an independent or public provider because companies are not recognized as daycare providers. Larger companies often have a kindergarten with their own premises; smaller companies tend to work with public daycares and receive a certain quota of places there.
Kindergartens run by commercial providers: Purely private kindergartens are not subsidized by the respective municipality. Parental fees are accordingly higher. Kindergartens run by commercial providers manage their funds entirely themselves and therefore often have a different orientation than public kindergartens.
Church kindergartens: For a daycare place in a Catholic or Protestant day nursery, parents do not have to be members of the church. However, they should be okay with their child being raised with Christian values and encountering prayers, Bible stories or Christian songs in everyday kindergarten life. Occasionally, Christian daycares are also involved in parish work, e.g., in children's church services.
Kindergartens run by independent welfare associations: The best-known non-profit providers are the Red Cross, the Workers' Welfare Association (Arbeiterwohlfahrt), Caritas, or the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband. The daycares have different pedagogical concepts but always operate independently and autonomously. The worldview of the respective organization plays a more or less significant role in everyday daycare life depending on the facility.
Parent initiatives: Parent initiatives are daycares founded and organized by parents that are subsidized by the municipality. The parents are themselves responsible for the organization and staff, for the operational processes and the pedagogical concept. Often parents not only have a strong say but also contribute a large amount of voluntary work, for example to save costs for cleaning staff or a meal service.

What makes a private kindergarten?

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Many assume that private kindergartens differ greatly from public daycares. In fact, the differences between the two forms are much smaller than some think. The focus is of course on targeted support and loving care of the children. The educational goals of private kindergartens are also not fundamentally different from those of public daycares. Nevertheless, private kindergartens show clear differences regarding costs, facilities, materials, toys and staffing ratios. Private kindergartens also generally focus on a pedagogical concept such as, for example, the Waldorf kindergarten or the Montessori kindergarten and do not combine the different models with each other. Another characteristic of private kindergartens is that they almost always have an independent provider and parents have to get more involved in events and other occasions, since private kindergartens receive fewer or no state subsidies. As a result, the fees for a daycare place are usually higher.\r\n\r\nAdvantages of a private kindergarten

greater parental influence
more flexible care hours
lower risk of strikes
more flexible opening hours during holidays
exclusive educational concepts

Disadvantages of a private kindergarten

higher costs
no full-day care
parents must get involved
the educators are not always trained childcare professionals

Checklist: What you should consider when choosing a daycare

The search for the right daycare for your child can often require a lot of effort, as there are so many factors to compare. Private kindergarten, public or independent provider? After all, you want to know your child is in good hands. In many regions childcare places are scarce, which is why parents often welcome any acceptance – no matter which daycare it is. But that does not mean that individual daycares shouldn't be examined closely. Therefore we have created a small checklist for you that summarizes the most important aspects of choosing a daycare. Here is what to consider when choosing a daycare: