Applying for a place at a Kita (child daycare) - Berlin

Hi,

I have a 4 month old and am planning to not work until he is 1 but after that will be putting him into a Kita. I have heard that you need to book a place with a Kita quite a bit in advance. Has anyone got any advice on when best to book a place? Tips on finding quality Kita's etc. I am not bothered about the Kita being billingual and I live in Neukölln.

Thanks in advance

Go to your local Rathaus (either to the building or online), and see if they have a list of Kitas. They should have one, but be warned the list is never complete - there are lsome that will not be listed. Be aware that some Kitas may have a religous ethos, and you need to decide if that is for you.

Next get yourself organised with the Jugendsamt, with regard to how many hours you can get, and what it will cost you. It may be a bit early for that now, but a phone call will let you know if the time is right. I am assuming here that you are not going private.

After that it is up to you to visit the Kitas and see how they feel to you. Some have open days, others have fixed times for visits (note Kitas are closed now for three weeks supper holidays). If possible get a personal appointment, and make sure that you see the rooms, the outside play area, and as many of the staff as possible. Find out how many children are in a group, and see if you can find out the room where your kid will be. They will probably tell you they are full, but if you like it, put your name down. Of course you probably need to get your kid's name down in a couple of places.

Beyond that, I don't think there is anything special to do. It is good to start thinking about it now.

What, no supper for three whole weeks?

[sup]Sorry, couldn't resist. [/sup]

Please edit your post so I can delete mine pronto.

Thanks for the info, that really helps and no I won't be going private. That's also interesting about the relgiously tilted (so to speak) Kitas. Not for me really.

Most Kita start at 3 years old (around here anyway), so if you want to get a kid in at 1 year of age you should register around the time of conception.

The Kita that my son goes to has a 1~3 age group and I think there are 9 spaces in that group. There are also 9 kids ahead of my daughter on the waiting list. Siblings get priority on the list as well, and yes all 9 of the kids ahead of my daughter have siblings in the kindergarten.

If the kids move through the age groups as planned, then my daughter should be able to get into the 1~3 year-old age-group by the time she is about 7!

It’s probably not that bad everywhere though. We live in a neubaugebiet (new development) and it’s a brand new Kita in a neighborhood that seems to average 2 kids per house (with a playground every half a block).

Dan

Well I definitely can't wait till he's 3 to start working. There are a load of kids in my area (and the related playgrounds) but there also about 20 kita's within a short walking distance from where I live.

As much as I appreciate CopyWriter's hardship, Berlin has a much better daycare infrastructure than Hesse. If you're not worried about bilingual, you should be able to find something reasonable if you sign up now. But really go now - don't let it slide for a month or two.

This is not the case. Some Kitas may not start till 3 years old but this is not the norm. More common is from 1 year, or 18 months - Eastern districts in particular traditionally starting younger. There should be no problem finding a kita for your child once he/she is one year old.

Indeed, kita possibilities in Berlin are very good - some of the benefits of socialism still survive!

my son is 9 months old and we just finalised his kita place last week (he will be going in three months). WE also found that my wifes work actually pay the fees as well which is cool. I would suggest popping in to any local kitas that you see, alongside some google work and it should be fairly easy to find one with places. Just be prepared for the paperwork you need for the jugendsamt and make sure you do it in a timely fashion to get your kita gutschein thingy..

Kita (Kindertagesstäte, Kindergarten) = kids from about 2.5 to 6 yrs old
Kinderkrippe = babies and younger children

My daughter started kita at 1 year old, and my son ad 18 months. Any yes, I am talking about Kindertagesstätem and not Kinderkrippe .

I don't know why people from other states feel the need to weigh in on state-specific issues. Kita in Berlin means anything from 6 weeks forward. I should know, I run one.

DO NOT put your name on the list for hundreds of kitas. The myth that there aren't enough kita spots in Berlin makes everyone run around and add themselves to waiting lists for every kita making the lists all artificially long and useless. Visit plenty of them but only throw your name in the hat for ones you're interested in. They will tell you it's hopeless and the list is massive but ultimately they will all call you and offer you a spot (except for the bilingual ones like ours where space is tight).

Also: Very few kitas actually close for summer holidays, but some do (they don't have to and pick the dates themselves). And the kita year runs from Aug. 1 so it's generally easier to get a spot starting then but, as with most things in life, things can change and kitas are generally looking for kids the year round.

Agree, you should not put your name down for hundreds of kitas. My suggestion is that you should first check out various ones, and unless there is a clear offer of a place with which you are happy, it is a good idea to put your name down for a couple of ones you like, otherwise if you miss out on the one that is your favourite, then you get stuck.

Interesting to know about the holidays - I thought they all closed for a couple of weeks, but obviously not. Thanks for the update.

Thanks for this. Very useful information. I will take a look round a few of the local places and check out the vibes. Very interesting about holidays (or lack of) too.