| Universität Bielefeld > International > Information for internationally mobile scientists and their families > Preparations > Children under the Age of 3 Years |
The International Office will try to support you in arranging for child care. However, places in day nurseries and daycare centers are in great demand and correspondingly hard to find. Therefore it is extremely necessary that you inform us as soon as possible if you have child care needs.
In Germany, children have no legal right to a place in a Kindergarten before they are 3 years old. The available care facilities include day nurseries, playgroups, daycare centers, or child minders. Attendance of a day nursery or daycare center is not free of charge. Fees depend on the type of organization (state-run, church-run, or private) and the parents' income. The individual care facilities will be able to give you more detailed information.
An alternative to day nurseries and daycare centers is so-called child minders. These are private individuals who look after a limited
number of children (generally a maximum of five) in their homes. The cost of child minders depends primarily on where you live, because
local governments vary in how far they subsidize this service. Child minders who do not belong to an association generally charge much
higher rates. You can find information on child minders in Bielefeld under:
Childcare Facilities at Bielefeld University
The International Office will try to support you in arranging for child care. However, places in day nurseries and daycare centers are in great demand and correspondingly hard to find. Therefore it is extremely necessary that you inform us as soon as possible if you have child care needs.
The German social security code (§ 24 Abs. 1 SGB VIII) states that every child in Germany "has the right to attend a Kindergarten from the third year of life up to school admission." However, this does not give a right of admission to whichever specific Kindergarten you choose.
There are different kinds of Kindergarten: church-run, church-supported, state-run, and private. When making your choice, you should consider the opening hours. Whereas church-run and -supported Kindergartens generally provide only morning care, ones run by the Workers' Welfare Association (Arbeiterwohlfahrt, AWO) and the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband welfare organization nearly always have longer opening hours.
You can find information on Kindergartens in Bielefeld under:
Information on Childcare at Bielefeld University
Please note that even though children have a legal right to attend Kindergarten, places are always in short supply. Many children only manage to obtain a place in the last year before starting school, and long waiting lists are very frequent. Therefore, it is very important to get in touch with Kindergartens before you travel to Germany.
The International Office will help you find an appropriate school for your child/children. Please contact us as early as possible if you plan to bring school children with you during your stay in Bielefeld.
Compulsory schooling in Germany lasts at least 10 years, generally from the age of 6 to 16. Schools in Germany are free of charge. After
4 years of elementary school, children have to transfer to one of the following types of secondary school:
Alongside these traditional types of school, Bielefeld also has comprehensive schools (Gesamtschulen) leading to all three types of school-leaving qualification.
You can find the addresses and telephone numbers of schools in Bielefeld here.
 |
Our team |
|---|
Deutsch
