Daycare & School

Participation in school trips, learning to play a musical instrument or joining a sports club can be costly. And such expenses are often not easy to afford for many families. The "Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket" (also called "Bildungspaket" or "Educational Package") is a form of state aid for children from low-income families intended to enable them to participate in school-related and leisure activities. With the Educational Package, the government supports children to participate in and benefit from certain activities and services at school and in their leisure time, such as lunch service at school or after-school care, private tuition and joining sports clubs and music classes.

In Germany, most small children attend a daycare centre or "Kita", where they can find new friends, play and learn outside the home and independent of their parents. You do not have to send children to a daycare centre, but doing so can help your child learn the language and many other useful things. In addition, sending your child to kindergarten will prepare him/her for attending school and provide you with the time to focus on your integration course, education, or vocational training.

The first day of school is significant in every child's life. School is not just somewhere children learn to read, write and do mathematics; it is also where they get to make new friends. Therefore, many schools and families celebrate the first day of school with a special festival. But before planning the celebration, there are a few things to take care of. Here you can learn when your child can start school and what they need for their first school day.

Before starting school, there is a so-called school entry health check. You can learn more about these tests in our chapter "School entry health checks".

In Germany, many children start school when they are 6 or 7 years old. The parents are often to decide precisely when a child starts school. But such a decision is not always easy to make. Therefore, paediatricians support parents in their decision-making. They examine the children and see whether they are ready for school or should wait another year. Such examinations are called "Schuleingangsuntersuchung" or school entry health tests and are cost-free and compulsory for all children who are about to start school in Germany.

Education in Germany is regulated at the federal state level, meaning each of the 16 federal states has its school system. Only the general compulsory education and the grading system are same throughout Germany. The school-leaving qualifications obtained in any individual federal state is recognised throughout Germany. Here you can find information about the school system in Germany as well as advice regarding issues like extra tutoring and bullying in schools.