Child care

You can send your child to a day nursery or an independent day care professional from the ages of 0 to 3. Once your child has turned one year old, you have a legal right to child care. Day care centers (“Kitas”) typically offer supervision for children under three as well as for children over three. However, each day care center sets its own minimum age requirements for children under three.

If you want your child to be cared for in a small group (3 to 5 children), we recommend an independent day care professional (Tagesmutter); you can find one privately or ask youth services (the Jugendamt) to help you.

The monthly fees for day care in Potsdam and Berlin are based on the parent’s income.

Employed parents, as well as parents who are in professional training or are enrolled in university (for studies or doctoral studies), can claim a legal entitlement to day care for children under one year of age.

Potsdam:

To be able to avail yourself of a day care placement in Potsdam in the following cases, you must first submit in advance an application for an “entitlement” at the city’s Kita Tipp:

• for children up to the age of 3
• for children over the age of 3 who need more than six hours of daily care
• for children in the 1st to 4th grades who need more than four hours of daily care
• for children in the 5th and 6th grades
• for children who will be cared for in other communities or Berlin.

The application (see the download box) should be turned in to the Kita Tipp six to eight weeks before you want to begin sending your child to day care, at the latest. 

Berlin:

To be able to avail yourself of a day care placement in Berlin, you must first apply for a day care voucher at the Youth Office in your residential district. You can find the application form and additional information on the day care voucher here. A directory of all of the day care options in Berlin is available here (in German only).