What is the difference between a public and an independent daycare provider?
Public providers:If a daycare has a public provider, they are often institutions of the city or district. That means they are administered and supervised by official authorities. Regarding the pedagogical orientation, public providers usually refrain from dictating it, which is why it often differs from one daycare to another. Still, public providers can set some basic principles. The costs for a daycare place in facilities with a public provider are not always the same. Sometimes they are fixed, sometimes they are based on the parents' income.
Independent providers:The term "independent provider" can mean many things, as there are large differences in how such daycares are organized. Therefore, before choosing a daycare run by an independent provider, you should find out exactly what suits your child. Independent daycare providers can be, for example, churches, associations, or parent initiatives. Their funding is partly secured through public funds, but also through parental contributions.
What a daycare costs, we explain on a separate page.
What types of daycare providers are there?
In general, a distinction is made between public (municipal) day care centers and independent provider institutions. Not all daycares run by independent providers are private daycares, but all private daycares are usually under independent sponsorship. In addition, there are privately commercial daycares that have no right to state subsidies and therefore finance themselves largely through parental contributions.
Municipal/city daycares: The majority of daycares in Germany are municipal nurseries and kindergartens financed from public funds of the respective city or municipality. The pedagogical orientation and opening hours vary and are determined by the respective daycare management. Due to funding from public funds, kindergarten fees for parents are comparatively low.
Daycares run by independent providers: Instead of organizing a daycare itself, a municipality can also transfer sponsorship of a kindergarten to independent providers. These are often churches or welfare organizations, but also parent initiatives and associations. The independent providers receive financial resources from the municipality, but they also contribute a share themselves, which is generally financed through parental contributions.
Company daycares: Company daycares 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 number of places there.
Daycares of commercial providers: Purely private kindergartens are not subsidized by the respective municipality. Parental contributions are therefore higher. Daycares run by commercial providers manage their funds entirely themselves and therefore often have a different orientation than public kindergartens.
Church-run kindergartens:Parents do not have to be church members to get a place in a Catholic or Protestant daycare. However, they should be comfortable with their child being raised with Christian values and being exposed to prayers, Bible stories, or Christian songs in everyday kindergarten life. Occasionally, Christian daycares are also involved in community work, e.g., at children's church services.
Daycares of independent welfare organizations: The best-known non-profit providers are the Red Cross, the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO), Caritas, or the Paritätischer 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 and subsidized by the municipality. The parents are themselves responsible for organization and staff, for operational procedures, and for the pedagogical concept. Parents often not only have a strong say but also contribute a high degree of voluntary work, for example to save costs on cleaning staff or a catering service.
What characterizes a private kindergarten?
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 the targeted support and loving care of the children. The educational goals of private kindergartens do not fundamentally differ from those of public daycares either. Nevertheless, private kindergartens show clear differences regarding costs, equipment, materials, toys, and staff-to-child ratios. Private kindergartens also typically 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 that parents have to get more involved in events and other occasions, because private kindergartens receive fewer or no state subsidies. As a result, the contribution costs for a daycare place are usually higher. Advantages of a private kindergarten
greater parental say
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 be involved
the educators are not always trained childcare professionals
Checklist: What you should consider when choosing a daycare
Searching for the right daycare for your child can often be time-consuming, 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, however, childcare places are scarce, which is why parents are often happy about any acceptance — regardless of which daycare it is. But that doesn't mean individual daycares shouldn't be examined closely. Therefore we have prepared a small checklist for you that summarizes the most important aspects of choosing a daycare. Here's what to consider when choosing a daycare:
Who is the provider?
What is the daycare's pedagogical concept?
What are the care hours?
Are there special programs offered at the daycare?
What rooms are there and how are they equipped?
How much does the daycare cost?
Did you not get a daycare place for your child? On a separate page you can find everything about right to childcare for your child.
Image credits
Teacher and a group of toddlers sit on the floor drawing with paper and pencil among many toys in the kindergarten © Krakenimages.com - stock.adobe.com
Nursery children sit on the floor with an educator and are painting © Krakenimages.com - stock.adobe.com
Toddlers play barefoot in a daycare room © Rawpixel.com - stock.adobe.com
