ROUTE
Getting a Kita Spot
From waitlist to contract: the legal claim from age 1 (Β§24 SGB VIII), the Kita voucher, fees and the Elterngeld combo.
β Checked: 15/08/2026
From a child's first birthday there is a legal entitlement to a childcare place β Β§24 SGB VIII. The problem is that waiting lists are longer than the entitlement: in large cities places are allocated nine to twelve months ahead, and in many places you can register before the birth. So this route starts not with choosing a nursery but with getting onto the lists β five to eight of them at once.
βΊ More about this route
The second step depends on your city: in Berlin and Hamburg a place is arranged through a Kita-Gutschein voucher, elsewhere through a direct contract with the nursery. The paperwork is similar everywhere: application, birth certificate, registration certificate and proof of employment, which determines how many subsidised hours you get. By the time a place is offered the file has to be complete β hesitate and the place goes to the next family.
On money and returning to work: fees depend on city and income and run up to around β¬500 a month, but there is an income-based scale, the youth welfare office can take over costs, and in many states the pre-school year is free. Part of the cost is tax-deductible β up to two thirds within the per-child limit. And crucially for planning: settling-in with a parent present takes two to four weeks.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
All possible documents for this route
- Application/Kita voucher application (city form)
- Child birth certificate
- Meldebescheinigung
- Proof of parents employment (determines the hours granted)
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Registering at one nursery and waiting. Applications go to five to eight at once: that is not a fallback but standard practice, and without it the wait stretches into a year.
- Waiting for a place in silence. The entitlement from age one is in the law, and a polite letter to the youth welfare office citing Β§24 SGB VIII visibly changes your position β the city has to find a place.
- Dragging your feet on documents after a place is offered. Birth certificate, health check booklet and measles vaccination proof belong ready to hand: while you gather them, the place can pass to the next family.
- Scheduling your return to work for the first nursery day. Settling-in takes two to four weeks and requires a parent to be present β book leave or flexible hours for it in advance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
When should you register if the child is not born yet?βΎ
In many cities registration is possible during pregnancy, and it makes sense: the lists open earlier than the entitlement arises. The benchmark is nine to twelve months before your desired start date, earlier in large cities. It is also worth considering a childminder in parallel: the same public funding, often a shorter queue.
What genuinely improves your chances of a place?βΎ
Four things at once. Applications to five to eight nurseries rather than one. A letter to the youth welfare office citing the entitlement from age one. Direct phone calls to nurseries β many keep their own lists alongside the city portal. And asking your employer about a workplace nursery: those places often bypass the general queue.
What does it cost and can the fee be reduced?βΎ
Up to around β¬500 a month depending on city, income and hours. There are three ways down: the income-based scale, an application for cost coverage at the youth welfare office with proof of income, and the free pre-school year where it has been introduced. On top of that, the annual tax return returns part of it β up to two thirds within the per-child limit.
What should go into planning a return to work?βΎ
Three things. Settling-in takes two to four weeks and requires a parent present. The number of subsidised hours follows your documented employment β in part-time work usually five to seven hours a day. And ElterngeldPlus is built for exactly this combination: it allows up to 32 hours of work a week while payments continue.