Finding Childcare in Germany

I mentioned in my previous post that spending the first year of baby’s life with him or her at home is common and expected in Germany, at least in the west. On the other hand, it isn’t so easy to go back to work within the first year or before age three because of the limited childcare options. While finding a Kindergarten (KIGA) in your neighborhood should be possible, finding one with a Kindertagesstätte (KITA), translated to day care center, or Kinderkrippe is harder. Even if you were able to get a spot for your three-year old at the KIGA walking distance down the street, if it doesn’t have a KITA, you might have to drive your one-year old across town to a Kindertagesstätte or two, that is if you got a spot and that is, if your town, city or village is big enough to have a KITA. READ MORE »