So you’ve been pro-active and you’ve reached out to all the Kitas on your list. Now you also want to go after specific spot openings at Kita. But where can parents find information on open Kita spots in Berlin?
Here’s some resources you should check regularly (bookmark them!):
Your local Jugendamt
Contact the Jugendamt in your district to get their help in finding you a Kita spot. Note that you will need to have at least applied for the Kita-Gutschein and should look to start Kita within the next 2-4 months (depending on the district). Also note that they can offer you any Kita within a 30-minute radius.
DaKS Berlin Marketplace for Open Spots
DaKs stands for Dachverband Berliner Kinder- und Schülerläden e. V. and is an association of parent initiative educational institutions. (This means many of their Kitas will require some amount of parental work – learn more in our article "What is an Elterninitiative Kita?").
Check out the DaKS website section on open spots, which is regularly filled by their members across Berlin.
Kitanetz
Check the Kitanetz "Platzbörse" for any open spots in Berlin.
Facebook Group “Kita in Berlin”
Check this Facebook group for announcements from Kitas that have open spots. You can also ask questions and connect with other parents looking for a spot.
Facebook Group "Freie Kitaplätze in Berlin"
Similar to the above group, you can find Kitas and Tagesmütter post about open spots in this Facebook group.
Ebay Kleinanzeigen
Ebay Kleinanzeigen is sometimes used by Kitas (but especially Tagesmüttern) to post about open spots. Just type “Kitaplatz” into the search field plus your zip code.
Nebenan.de
Join Nebenan.de and create a post to share with your neighborhood community with the specifics are the type of Kita spot you are looking for (age of your child, desired start date and anything else that is important to you).
Neighborhood playgrounds and Kita windows
Kitas will sometimes put up flyers on their door or window or around the neighborhood to advertise free spots or open house events. (They will also sometimes put a note up to let families know they don’t have any open spots.)
Kita Navigator
The Kita Navigator also shows open spots on their platform although unfortunately, this information is very unreliable and mostly these spots do not actually exist. Learn more in our article "Should I Use the Kita Navigator."
Hopefully the above list is helpful to you! A quick note: You will see that oftentimes these posts are for slightly older kids but you will also sometimes see ads for 1-year olds for new Kitas or Tagesmütter.
Good luck!
