If you need a Kita spot for your child which has not yet turned 1 year old, there are a couple of things you need to know about the paperwork and process.
(This article was written in collaboration with our baby paperwork expert Elodie Roux. Elodie is the founder of Baby in Berlin, offering expert help with German baby paperwork and Berlin Kita search for international families.)
Normally, you can only get the Kita-Gutschein (which you need to sign the contract with the Kita or Tagesmutter) in Berlin, if your child is 12 months or older.
If your child is younger, then you need to provide documentation that you cannot care for your child yourselves.
Reasons you may qualify for a Kita-Gutschein for a under 1 year old child can include:
Work (freelance or employed)
University studies
An apprenticeship
An internship
Job search
Note that both parents need to be occupied full-time (or close to full-time) for you to be able to request the Gutschein for your under 1 year old child.
Here is a list of documents required.
That is the paperwork side of things.
The other challenge will be finding a Kita or Tagesmutter that accepts children under 1 year, of which there are some but not so many in Berlin.
The reason is that Kitas who wish to accept children under 1 have to have a specific agreement, as well as dedicated educators and equipment so most places do not fulfill the requirements to take on children under 1.
Nevertheless, you can filter by the age your child will have when they start Kita in the Berlin Kita Navigator (“Alter zum Betreuungsbeginn” under “Erweiterte Suche”). (Sometimes, the advanced search is not working on Chrome – our community member Lauren recommends to try Firefox instead!)
Tagesmütter (professional childminders) can officially take on children from 2 months old. In reality they prefer when children start around the 8 months-mark. You can check our list of Tagesmütter in your district.
You also need to know that choosing a Tagesmutter is usually a mid- to long-term decision as they would not allow you to visit them for only a few months before you switch to a Kita. So this needs to be considered carefully when you consider if a Tagesmutter or Kita is right for your family. (More on the pros and cons in this article.)
Note also that you will need to go through the phasing-in process (Eingewöhnung) regardless of whether you choose a Kita or a Tagesmütter. And the younger your child is when starting, the longer the process could take, so bring plenty of patience. (This also applies if you decide for a Tagesmutter to start with and change to a Kita later on. This means two phasing-in processes for you!)
We hope this is helpful and wish you all the best!
