International Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
@ Childcare in Germany
Moms in Germany, I am looking for some information. We are moving to Frankfurt in May and while I plan on being a SAHM for a while longer, I would like to have some kind of grasp on what childcare is like there.
What is the name for nurseries/daycares, how much do they average, is it very difficult to get into public ones, etc. Any personal experiences are certainly welcomed!
TIA!
Re: @ Childcare in Germany
If your child is under 3, or under 2 (depends where you live) then they need a Krippenplatz, which simply means that for every 10 kids there must be an adult, as opposed to the over three age group which is 1 adult for 15-16 kids. Some places Have a 1:6 ratio for the younger ones, some don?t.
You can find a Krippenplatz at a KiTa (Kindertagesst?tte) or a Tagesmutti (lady who cares for no more than 5 children in her home). As for the costs, that depends on the area where you are and how much they are subsidized. Where I live I pay 89 Euros a month for four hours a day. The max in our area is 187 a month for 9 hours a day. But I know that other cities/states are more expensive.
Yes, it is difficult to find care for young children, and particularly so in the western part of Germany. I was fortunate in that we live in the former GDR, so there are lots more spots for younger children than in the west.
You will need to start looking at spots asap to get yourself on some waiting lists. I don?t know if Frankfurt has a central spot for registering like Dresden does, or if you have to register at each place you are interested in. Something to ask one of the Frankfurt ladies.
But yeah for a new German nestie!
I'm in the Southwest, and we've chosen to go with a Kinderfrau (a nanny). The money issue is absolutely crazy, and to be honest, I have no idea how much we pay at the end of the day. Besides the money we pay to the nanny, we pay 2 different places according to our income level (state youth agency and a place that handles social benefits for nannies), then we get subsidies from 2 different places (the same state youth agency I just mentioned, so we pay them and they pay us every month. yay bureaucracy. And then we get another subsidy from our city). Really, I could figure it out, but it's so complicated I have no idea without sitting down with a calculator and our bank statements, especially since the subsidies we receive are always delayed by at least a month. Our contract with her is for 8? / hour, which is pretty standard in our area.
Kitas are more expensive here than where Glitterfart is, but it totally depends on the city. Friends of ours who had their kids in a Kita here were quite surprised at how much cheaper they were in a nearby but much larger city.
Your options, though, are as Glitterfart said - a Tagesmutter (in-home daycare provider), a Kita (Kindertagesst?tte - a daycare), or a Kinderfrau (nanny). If you're interested in either a Tagesmutter or a Kinderfrau, look for your local "Tageseltern Verein" - they're in charge of certifying the candidates and help you find the right person for you. If you want a Kita, then follow Glitterfart's advice. I don't know much about them other than what I've heard from friends.
The prices here are also based on income and range from 39/Eur a month for 25 hours for those making less than 19kEUR/year to 413/EUR a month for 45 hours for those making more than 97kEUR/year - and everything in between.
This area has an issue with spaces. There are stickers all over public parks about how more space is needed in this town. However, one of my friends was able to get one for her daughter when she moved here. It's just not super-close to her house, but it's still walking distance.
One thing the government lady who came to my house after W was born told me was that it would be beneficial to me to tell the kita place that we want him to learn German. That would help us get a place faster. I'm still not ready to have him go anywhere, though, so I haven't taken actually tried her advice.
Thanks for the information! I have a feeling I may just have to wait until we get there to know exactly what is available in our town. We will be living in a suburb of Frankfurt, not the city itself, and I am trying to scope things out via internet, but it may just be best to figure it out once I am there.
This has been very helpful though! Even 420 euros a month sounds cheap to me for daycare!
Sorry I don't have any advice for you because I don't have children, but you can check out toytowngermany for good recommendations for childcare.
Kelkheim! My husband did his civil service there and comes from Bad Soden, a town not too far away. He said you should contact the Burgeramt in Kelkheim and ask; we're not sure if they speak English, but he said it's a pretty international town. Lots of bankers live there:
Telefonnummer: +49 6195 / 803-0 (Zentrale)
Faxnummer: +49 6195 / 803-133
E-Mail-Adresse: rathaus@kelkheim.de
Here are some lists of Kinderg?rten in Kelkheim:
http://www.meldebox.de/Umzug-Kelkheim-Taunus/Kindergarten/
http://www.kelkheim.de/conpresso4/_rubric/index.php?pos=20&rubric=7
Sorry, I can't find any info in English.
You could just write to the Kinderg?rten and ask what you have to do to put your child on the waiting list. Or, once you're here, contact them and go by to have a look at the different places.