All about school and childcare

Nursery and kindergarten: the first formative years

Benefits for children:

The kindergarten years are formative for children: many come into intensive contact with peers for the first time, learn to assert themselves in a group without their parents, and further develop their personality and interests. Not least, kindergarten is an ideal preparation for school life. Therefore, for most parents it is natural to send their child to kindergarten at the age of three.

Demand for nursery care is growing:

There is an increasing need for care for toddlers: in recent years nursery care in Germany has been massively expanded. Here necessity rather than the pedagogical aspect is in the foreground. Many parents simply cannot afford to stay at home with a child for three years. Parents often find it difficult to decide on a nursery or a kindergarten. After all, there are large differences in pedagogical concept, size, costs and the offered hours of care.

Kita or kindergarten?

The term Kindertagesstätte (daycare center) emerged with all-day care offerings and originally served to distinguish conventional kindergartens that offered care until midday. Nowadays the terms Kita and kindergarten are largely used synonymously. Thus there are Kita groups whose children are picked up at midday, and many institutions that call themselves kindergartens also offer full-day care.

When to start in nursery and Kita?

Most children enter the nursery at around one year old at the end of regular parental leave. Many nurseries also accept babies from six months or even earlier. Kindergarten age begins at three years, however most Kitas only accept new children at the start of a new school year, when a year group is enrolled and new places become available. Nursery children usually have no problems settling into Kita; often nursery and Kita are combined in one facility, so the environment is already familiar.

What should I look for when choosing a facility?

You get the best impression by observing everyday life in nursery and Kita. Visit several facilities and pay attention not only to equipment and support services but also to the seemingly minor details: what is the noise level? What impression do the children under care give? How do the educators interact with each other? Bring your child to these visits, because you will notice where they feel comfortable right away.

Alternative forms of childcare

Especially in cities, the range of all-day care options for children is now quite well developed. However, if no place is available in a nursery or all-day school, or if parents prefer a family-oriented form of care, there are a number of alternative care options — whether out of necessity or conviction. To ensure children and parents feel comfortable with the chosen care, you should inform yourselves well, visit as many different facilities as possible, and weigh up the pros and cons. Provided there is mutual trust and some cooperation between parents and caregivers, an alternative form of care can certainly be beneficial for a child.

What alternative forms of care are there besides nursery, Kita and all-day school?

Grandparents:

Care by grandparents offers many advantages. On the one hand it is the least expensive option; on the other hand children are cared for one-to-one by a familiar person. Daily childcare can, however, become a great burden for older people. At the same time, the family proximity can quickly lead to conflicts over parenting issues.

After-school club:

After-school clubs offer afternoon care after school lessons, but are generally independent of the school and must be paid for by parents. There is homework supervision and the opportunity for free play as well as other activities. The quality of after-school care varies, as does the pedagogical concept.

Childminder/daycare provider:

Childcare providers are trained by the state and subsidized if the parents' income is low. A maximum of five children from newborns to school-age may be cared for; the caregivers decide on the care concept themselves. The biggest advantage is the very family-like home care, but there are hardly any standards, so the quality of care varies greatly.

Temporary grandparents:

Various agencies arrange hire-a-grandparents for families who have no grandparents of their own or whose grandparents live far away. When and how often the temporary grandparents are with the family is agreed individually; however, the concept is not designed as a permanent care solution.

Starting school – the start of 'real life'?

Enrollment is without question one of the most important events in a child's life — many can hardly wait for the first day of school. Fortunately no schoolchild has to fear the start of 'real life', because primary school concepts are much better tailored to children's needs and learning behavior today than a few years ago. Nevertheless, parents can do a lot to make the start of school easier for their child and prepare them for everyday school life.

Preparing for school:

Many kindergartens actively prepare children for enrollment, e.g. with preschool programs, language support and traffic education. As parents you can prepare your child by visiting the school together, learning the route to school and generally making sure your child learns to tackle things independently.

Getting school supplies:

When choosing the school backpack and pencil case, your child should be able to have a say, after all these items will accompany them for several years. There are usually specifications for notebooks, pens and other school supplies for the respective subjects. Normally you will be given a list at enrollment or at the first parents' evening.

What goes into the school cone?

The school cone is the highlight of starting school, whether homemade or bought ready-made. It should not be too big or too heavy, and should be brightly and variedly filled. Besides the obligatory sweets, pens or craft materials, small toys or first books for independent reading also find a place in the school cone.

Getting through school life without stress

With starting school your child not only begins their education but also a whole new everyday life which they must manage largely independently: from the route to school to the lessons, contact with new classmates, to homework and organizing school supplies, many challenges await. Of course you can support your child and give them help in everyday school life, but the more tasks they can manage alone, the more confident they will become in coping with school life in the future.

How to tackle challenges together in everyday school life

Prepare your child for the route to school, practice the route together and make sure they know who to turn to if they have problems.
Pack the <Link> together every evening and remove all unnecessary school items.
Agree on fixed homework times so there are no arguments.
If your child cannot manage their homework alone, help them, for example, with small prompts to think.
Try to find a system for their school supplies with your child so they can organize themselves independently.

Waldorf schools & Co. – what do alternative school concepts offer?

The standard school concept does not convince all parents. Although conventional schools also differ in their pedagogical approaches, many parents desire different learning and development emphases for their children. Alternative concepts such as Waldorf or Montessori pedagogy address precisely this. They support children not only according to the curriculum but put creative, practical and social development strongly in the foreground. Critics often argue that academic education is neglected as a result. It is also undeniable that not every alternative school concept is suitable for every child. We have summarized the most important approaches for you:

Waldorf schoolsaim for holistic education by promoting creative, intellectual, artistic, practical and social skills. There are over 230 privately run Waldorf schools in Germany, where children can obtain a Waldorf school certificate after 12 school years, which is equivalent to the Realschule diploma.

Montessori schoolsare based on the assumption that every child has an inner drive to learn and learns from intrinsic motivation. At around 400 primary and secondary schools nationwide, children obtain various qualifications from Hauptschule certificates to the Abitur. Montessori schools are partly privately and partly state-run.

Jenaplan schoolssee school as an educational and living space where students learn responsibly in the four educational forms: work, conversation, play and celebration. Nationwide there are about 40 schools that allow qualifications up to the Abitur.

Freinet schoolsare mostly primary schools and are rarely found in Germany. At around 20 institutions, pupils determine the lessons and learn largely independently with the support of teachers. In Freinet secondary schools a Hauptschule qualification is usually possible.