Kita: Finding Childcare in Germany

This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to Germany with a baby or young child and need to arrange childcare. After reading it, you will know which type of Kita (daycare centre) suits which age, how to apply through your local office, what fees apply in each federal state and how the Kita-Gutschein (daycare voucher) works.

• Types of Kita and age groups
• Applying for a place
• Fees and where Kita is free
• The Kita-Gutschein and help with costs
• Waiting lists, timing and the first weeks
• FAQ

Types of Kita and age groups

According to Handbook Germany’s childcare guide, Kindertagesstätte or Kita is a collective term for several forms of childcare. There are three main types:

• Kinderkrippe (nursery): for children under the age of three.
• Kindergarten: for children between three and seven years.
• Kinderhort (after-school care): for primary school children in the afternoon.

Sending a child to a Kita is not compulsory. Some Kitas are run or funded by the municipality, others are private, and some are run by churches. Parents do not need to be church members to register a child in a church-run Kita, although the Kita may take part in church life. There are also integrative Kitas, where children with and without a disability are cared for together, bilingual Kitas, and Kitas based on a particular philosophy such as Montessori or Waldorf.

Most Kitas provide lunch, and some also offer breakfast. Kitas hold regular open-door days for parents. Portals such as kita.de or kindergarten-vergleich.de list opening hours, features and possible vacancies.

Applying for a place

How you apply depends on who runs the Kita. Your city or district sets the local details.

Municipal Kitas: parents apply to the Jugendamt (Youth Welfare Office) for the area where they live. The responsible office can be found at unterstuetzung-die-ankommt.de. The Jugendamt provides a list of all Kitas in the area and a registration form. On the form, parents name their preferred Kita and choose several others as alternatives. The Jugendamt can also explain how places are allocated locally.

If the preferred Kita has no vacancies, the Jugendamt can allocate a place in another Kita. That Kita must be no more than 5 km from the family’s home or reachable within 30 minutes by public transport.

Private Kitas: parents usually register directly at the Kita. They can collect forms during opening hours, register the child on the spot or put the child on the waiting list.

The source does not describe a general legal right to a place or the age at which such a right begins. It also does not say whether an Anmeldung (address registration) is needed before applying. The local Jugendamt decides these questions for its area. Questions about residence status belong with the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority) or a migration advice service.

Fees and where Kita is free

Fees differ from Kita to Kita and from district to district. They depend on the scope of care (how many hours the child attends), family income and the number of siblings in daycare. Municipal Kitas are generally cheaper than private ones, and higher fees do not mean better care.

Several federal states make municipal or state-supported care partly or fully free:

• Berlin: free for all children from birth. Parents pay for meals, and Kitas may charge for extras such as sports, organic meals or language lessons.
• Rhineland-Palatinate: free from the age of 2. Fees may apply for children under 2 and for after-school care, and parents may pay for lunch.
• Hesse: free from age 3 until school, for up to 6 hours a day.
• Thuringia: free in the last 24 months before school.
• Brandenburg: from the 2024/2025 daycare year, no contributions for children older than 3. Since January 2023, children from low-income families or families on social benefits are exempt. For family incomes up to €55,000, fees are capped according to the scope of care.
• Bremen: free from age 3 until school, including care by parent associations or childminders. Families still pay for children under 3, for lunch and for after-school care.
• Hamburg: basic care from birth until school is free for up to 5 hours a day or 30 hours a week. Longer hours are charged according to income, family size, the child’s age and scope of care.
• Lower Saxony: free from age 3 until school in facilities financially supported by the state.
• North Rhine-Westphalia: the last 2 years before school are free. For younger children, the local youth welfare office decides how much parents pay and how fees are collected.
• Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: free care in daycare centres, kindergartens, with childminders and in after-school care for up to 10 hours a day. Parents pay for lunch.

Kita is not free in the other federal states. Even where care is free, parents pay a small monthly amount for food and drink.

The Kita-Gutschein and help with costs

Families on a low income who cannot afford the fees can apply for a Kita-Gutschein at the Jugendamt. Each local authority decides how the voucher works and what it is called. The source describes this process:

1. The family finds a Kita for the child.
2. The family applies in writing to the local Jugendamt for reimbursement of costs, using the form from its website or office.
3. The form is submitted by post or in person with proof of income, a confirmation letter from the Kita and the Kita’s fee assessment. Proof of income can be the last three payslips or a certificate from the Jobcentre or the Sozialamt (social welfare office).

The Jugendamt checks the documents. If it considers the family low-income, it pays all or part of the cost. People receiving benefits can also ask their contact at the Jobcentre or Sozialamt whether they are entitled to financial aid.

Waiting lists, timing and the first weeks

Some districts have enough places, but many do not, so the search is harder in some places than others. The source advises registering as early as possible, ideally immediately after birth. Early registration matters even more for private Kitas, and some put children on the waiting list during pregnancy.

When registering, parents state whether the child needs part-time care (mornings only, mornings including lunch, or afternoons only) or full-day care.

Once a Kita offers a place, parents are usually invited to an introductory talk. They bring the child’s Gelbes Heft (child health check booklet, also called Kinder-Untersuchungsheft) and Impfpass (vaccination record). The first weeks are an Eingewöhnungszeit (settling-in period), and children are expected to attend regularly.

FAQ

At what age can a child go to a Kita?

Nurseries take children under three, kindergartens take children between three and seven, and after-school care is for primary school children. The source does not give a minimum starting age, so the Kita or the local Jugendamt decides.

What happens if the preferred Kita is full?

For municipal Kitas, the Jugendamt can allocate a place in another Kita. That Kita must be no more than 5 km from home or reachable within 30 minutes by public transport. Private Kitas keep their own waiting lists.

Is Kita free in Germany?

It depends on the federal state. Berlin is free from birth. Several states are free from age 2 or 3, or for the final years before school. In the other states, Kita is not free. Parents usually pay for meals everywhere.

What documents are needed for a Kita-Gutschein?

The application to the Jugendamt needs proof of income, a confirmation letter from the Kita and the Kita’s fee assessment. Proof of income can be the last three payslips or a certificate from the Jobcentre or Sozialamt.

Sources: handbookgermany.de

Last verified: 16 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).