Many parents want the best possible childcare. It supports early education and makes it easier to combine family and career. The prerequisite for this is a needs-based, high-quality range of childcare places for children under and over the age of three until they start school.

Parents with children under the age of three who need childcare must decide whether they would like their child to be looked after in a daycare facility or in childminders. Children over the age of three are usually cared for in a daycare facility.

Child daycare, also known as childminders, is an individual and familiar form of childcare, as only a small number of children are cared for here. This allows for flexible childcare times and an adapted settling-in period. On the other hand, childcare often takes place in a home environment, which gives the children a feeling of security and safety. Click here to find out more about child day care.

Child daycare facilities have an independent educational and childcare mandate. They are places where children under and over the age of three are cared for all or part of the day by educational professionals.

The binding basis for the work in a child day care facility is the facility-specific educational concept, which describes the educational concept of the respective child day care facility. It ensures the quality of support in the daycare center and can be an important criterion for choosing the right daycare center for your child.

Other important criteria may include the type of provider, family center, other focus and opening hours offered.

Use this daycare center checklist to find the right one for you

The KiTa-Finder NRW makes it easier for you to search for childcare services in daycare centers near your place of residence. The online service provides you with contact details as well as information on the number of groups and places for children in your area. Descriptions of the educational concept, contact persons, opening hours and photos are updated and expanded by the daycare facilities.

Once you have selected a suitable daycare facility for your child, make an appointment to register your child on site. Please note: The notification of need at the youth welfare office does not automatically replace early personal registration at the desired child daycare facility.

If you have any questions about child daycare, please contact your youth welfare office.

Childcare places in daycare facilities are offered by public and independent youth welfare organizations. They differ in terms of their educational concept, their size, the type of group composition and their location, among other things. Parents' wishes for a childcare place outside of their place of residence can also be taken into account under certain circumstances if suitable, free facilities are available there and the parents have notified the provider of their needs at an early stage. Regardless of which type of childcare - daycare or daycare center - you choose:

• As a rule, parents must notify the responsible youth welfare office in writing of their requirements at least six months before they wish to take up a place.
• The registration can be made via the electronic registration systems of the respective youth welfare office. The youth welfare office will confirm the notification of need to the parents within one month and inform them of the amount of the parental contributions.
• The childcare place will be allocated no later than six weeks before the child is due to attend.
• Please note: The notification of need to the youth welfare office does not automatically replace early personal registration at the desired daycare facility or daycare provider.

Child day care facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia
Child day care in North Rhine-Westphalia

If you have any questions regarding the notification of need for child day care, please contact your youth welfare office.

Information on the calculation of parental contributions, taking income into account, can be found on the local authority's website or directly from the daycare center. If you have any questions about the amount or determination of parental contributions, please contact the local youth welfare office.

The local youth welfare office decides whether and to what extent parental contributions are charged for the use of services in child daycare facilities or in child daycare. If the respective youth welfare office levies parental contributions, it must provide for a social scale and take into account the economic capacity of the parents and the duration of care. In particular, the income of the parents, the number of children entitled to child benefit in the family and the daily care time of the child can be taken into account as criteria for the scale. Information on the amount and calculation of parental contributions can be found on the local authority's website or directly from the childcare facility. If you have any questions about the amount or determination of parental contributions, please contact the local youth welfare office.

The parental contributions are regulated in the parental contribution statutes for child daycare facilities of the responsible youth welfare offices. Information on the amount and calculation of contributions can be found on the municipal websites.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the following conditions apply:

• The last two years of childcare before your child starts school are generally free of charge in North Rhine-Westphalia.
• The costs for the use of subsidized childcare services in daycare facilities are determined by the local youth welfare office of the place of residence. Additional contributions to the daycare facilities can only be made for meals. To ensure that all children have the same access to early childhood education, regardless of their parents' financial means, paid services are not permitted during opening hours.
• The amount of parental contributions for publicly funded childcare services depends on the annual income of the parents or the parent with parental authority - insofar as parental contributions are levied in the youth welfare office district.
• In many municipalities, the contribution depends on the childcare requirement (children under three years of age or children over three years of age) as well as the amount of childcare time (e.g. 25 hours, 35 hours or more). For example, 25 hours, 35 hours or 45 hours per week.
• In the case of low income, the youth welfare office can pay the fees in full or in part on application; this means that parents do not have to pay any or lower parental contributions, especially if they receive housing or social benefits.

If you have any questions about the amount or calculation of parental contributions for childcare services, please contact the local youth welfare office.

To make it easier for you as parents to contact the youth welfare office responsible for you, we have set up a search function here. Simply search for the name of the municipality in which you live using the alphabet or the zip code area to find your youth welfare office.