Kita in Germany: how to get a childcare place

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Kita is short for Kindertagesstätte and covers all day care before school. Places are scarce in many cities, and the search often takes months, so the timing of your application matters more than anything else.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source named at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

1. Know the types

   Nursery (Krippe): children under three. Kindergarten: from three until school starts. After-school care (Hort): primary school children in the afternoon. A childminder (Tagesmutter or Tagesvater) looks after a few small children in a home and counts as an equal alternative for children under three.

   Done

2. Find out how your town organises it

   Many cities have an online portal where you put your child on the list for several centres at once, for example Kita-Navigator or Little Bird. In other towns you register with each centre yourself. The youth welfare office (Jugendamt) or the town's website explains which applies.

   Done

3. Register early

   Handbook Germany advises registering straight after the birth. Most places are given out for the start of the Kita year in August or September. Say whether you need a part-time or a full-time place.

   Done

4. Visit and stay in touch

   Go to open days, introduce yourself and ask about the waiting list from time to time. Centres run by churches, charities and parents' groups decide on their places themselves.

   Done

5. Apply for a voucher or a fee reduction

   In some states, such as Berlin and Hamburg, you first need a voucher (Kita-Gutschein) from the youth welfare office, which you hand to the centre. Families with a low income can have the fees reduced or paid: apply at the youth welfare office with proof of income.

   Done

6. Sign the contract and plan the settling-in

   The first weeks are a settling-in period (Eingewöhnung): one parent stays with the child for a few hours a day and then for shorter and shorter times. It usually takes several weeks, so do not plan your first day back at work for the first Kita day.

   Done

7. If you do not get a place

   Tell the youth welfare office in writing that you need a place from a certain date and ask it to offer you one. The legal right is directed at the town. If nothing is offered, parents can claim costs, for example for private care. Get advice for that step.

   Done

Good to know

Fees differ widely. Some states charge nothing for some or all Kita years, and others charge by income and hours. Lunch is usually paid extra. Ask your town for its fee table.

Children whose families receive citizen's income, housing benefit or the child supplement get lunch and outings paid through the education package (Bildungspaket).

In the last year before school, the Kita prepares children for school and checks their German. Going to a Kita is the easiest way for a child to learn the language.

Kita fees can be deducted in your tax return: tax return in Germany: who has to file and how to do it.

In short: Right to a place from age one, register right after birth, town portal or the centres directly, voucher where needed, settling-in over weeks, write to the Jugendamt if there is no place.