THINGS THAT MAKE SENSE IN GERMAN KITA, that Seem Odd in American Daycare
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- Join us as we celebrate Jack's first day in Kita! Or rather, his first hour. This week we begun the process of "Eingewöhnung" or acclimation period as he begins the transition to full-time daycare in a Kita in Germany. As we navigate this new and exciting time, we though we would share all of the nuances for childcare in Germany. From enrolling your little one in a German Kita, to child development pedagogy, childcare costs in Germany and so much more! Does the German Kita do it better than the American daycare system? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.
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👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:
00:00 Intro
00:40 Eingewöhnung
02:00 Jack goes to Kita
02:15 How Jack's First Day Went
04:18 Philosophical differences between Childcare in Germany vs. USA
04:55 Childcare costs in Germany vs Daycare cost in the USA
06:10 Why we decided to enroll Jack in German Kita below 1 Year Old
07:30 Age Ranges for Kita, Krippe and Kindergarten in Germany
08:55 How to enroll your child in a Kita in Germany
09:40 Public vs. Private Kita in Germany
10:03 Montessori Style of Child Development
11:30 German Kitas take children outdoors year-round.
12:00 German Kita Outdoor Clothing
13:01 Closing Thoughts
13:30 Outro
Episode 16 | #lifeingermany and #kidsabroad Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | Filmed September 15, 2021
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Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎
My sister did the same thing with my nephew. Talked to him in English at home, put him in a German Kita and because this was in Düsseldorf there were many Japanese kids. He is now in 1st grade and is bilingual in English and German and speaks a little bit of Japanese too.
That's fantastic! Little ones are like sponges for new languages. We hope Jack takes up both languages as successfully as your sister.
@@TypeAshton he will just fine! Children up to age six or 7 soak up language like a sponge ❤️
Kids are sponges!
Kids learn about anything unless they have to. As soon as they are taught something in school they are hardly motivated.
Just started watching and was laughing as you showed your stack of paperwork 🤣. That is definitely a VERY German thing in itself already! Greetings from Mainz!
Being better bookkeepers and investing in filing solutions has been an unexpected skill we have needed to pick up in Germany. 😂 Nice to meet you and thanks for watching!
Meenzer Mädl hier 🙆🏼♀️
I'm from Switzerland but we have the same mindset. The US is the only country to not have signed the UN children rights convention.
You will experience the difference when he's growing up especially. Your child is an individual with his own rights. It has the right to the best possible development, to express his individuality.... We raise our children to be self-reliant and self-confident. An if it's necessary even to oppose their parents.
Totally agree. We are really thankful to have such a comprehensive and supportive childcare experience in Germany. We are so excited for his future.
The US has right for children. ALL kids have the right to education no matter what their race is. This is Kindergarten through 12th grade. After 12th grade you arent a child anymore. 44 states offer free Preschool (kind of similar to German Kindergarten. It does have its differences) for kids age 4-5. It doesn't matter race or religion. Preschool isnt a requirement in the US, but it does help. Children are protected to the point Americans are called helicopter parents. Children are so protected that it is harming them. The biggest downfall of the US is the survival part. Some schools have a program where breakfast and lunch is free for kids who are underprivileged.
Daycare is expensive in the US and needs to be fixed. I do need to say though Switzerland is double the price of most US daycares. Switzerland's Kita is ridiculously expensive.
1. Home schooling is possible.... That's really a no go in many other countries.
2. And yes, I'm talking about the protection that harms children. We intervene in such cases. That's why they have to be in school. A child needs tm to become self-reliant and has a right to choose his way of life without being indoctrinated. We do not protect them from evil. We teach them how to recognize it and react.
Someone else is raising your child. Just saying.
@@campoida Yes, that's the idea. A child is raised by multiple people. Of course the parents are the most important ones but it should have many opportunities to know other examples. Different ones.
The Kita is a very importend part of Education. My son has no siblings. But at Kita he found friends his age. He started with 1year. All Kids in his group where 1-2 yo. They have a big garden and outdoor playground and some indoor „sportrooms“. What I also really liked was the help with „pottytraining“. They even organised a week in the woods in summer. 5 days by a lake 1h from Berlin. My son is 18 yo. now, He still speaks with wet eyes and fond memories about the majority of his carers. All the best!
Awe that is wonderful. I know Jack just LOVES going to Kita. He gets so excited when he see's the teachers and his friends. It makes me happy to see all of the education and stimulation he gets while he is there.
Plain and simple- you both are great parents and you are doing a great Job. The basic idea about a Kindergarten is , let the children play. Thats it. Playing and self educating. And the language will be no issue for you son.
Thank you! ❤️❤️
Kids learn a foreign language faster than adults
My Kids are in an Naturkindergarten.
They have no House or something. Just a little little Construction trailer for absolutely stormy days. The hole day, they are outside. I love this. They have there own garden. Every child helps in ther.
It's just a big, big garden and Playground. No "toys" . And the kids are still happy.
I think this is part of why Montessori has become so popular in the US recently...research shows again and again that countries who emphasize nature, practical life education and promote independence (like Norway, Denmark, etc) have a huge positive impact on children and their development.
Yes! These skills are so important. I also love that our Kita takes all of the little one's on daily excursions to Parks or to walk along the local riverside. Just yesterday when I picked him up, they told me that he had the best time "crawling in the sunshine" along the Dreisam river that morning. It makes me so happy. ❤️
It depends on the child. My ex sent her daughter to a Montessori school. What she did not learn there: if you don't understand something, sit on your buttocks until you got the point of it. And sorry, this won't work without any nudging.
Just discovered your channel through your housing videos comparing US and Germain cultural approaches, and was curious about what Kita even was. I find your content, so far, intriguing and interesting. I've always found Germany to be an interesting and beautiful place, and inspiring when it comes to their approach to design and architecture. But, that being said, I find most European housing and community approaches to be more appealing and better thought out than here in the states, in many ways in general. It seems that their approach to child care, socializing, and education are equally so.
Thanks for the inside scoop on life in Germany. And, btw, cute kid. 🙂
I went to a Montessori Kindergarten when I was little. I loved it. Kindergarten was such an important time for me and I think it is for every child. Children learn to make friends, develop social intelligence and learn how to behave and exist in a bigger group much more earlier. I still remember a lot from that time, although it’s been 11 years (WOW, WHAT?!) I remember every trip we did, I loved the Sankt Martins Fest and when we were “Schulanfänger” (=School Starters, the kids that go to school after the summer) we had a sleepover. That was so cool, because we had our teachers, who were like our second mums, for our own for two days. We celebrated Nikolaus every year, put on costumes on Fasching (that’s what you call Carnival in the South;) and we learned so many things about different cultures! I’m still very good friends with a lot of people who went to Kindergarten with me. I am very grateful for the time I had! 🥰🥰🥰
This makes my heart happy. I really hope Jack is able to make such fond memories like yours. Thank you so much for sharing and for watching the video. ❤️❤️❤️
Düsseldorf is also "beitragsfrei", except for private Kitas such as ones founded by a group of parents. You only pay for the food, and if you can't afford that, the "Jobcenter" will give you some paperwork to show at the Kita so your child gets their food for free. This is done because in Germany, especially in the area I live and work in (Nordrhein-Westfalen), going to a Kita is seen as a children's right. I work in a Ü3-Kita and 90% of the kids here stay for lunch, almost 50% are still here after 3pm. We are very much a sort of extended family to these kids, they trust us and we love them and really care for their well-being! ❤
Beitragsfrei is düsseldorf only if the child is 3 and over. Still great thou.
Jack will learn German soooo quickly in KiTa. He will grow up at least bilingual, if not trilingual, in Freiburg, with France being so close.
With a little bit of luck you might even find an Italian restaurant where he might pick up a few bits and pieces of Italian as well.
I am absolutely sure he will love his KiTa.
I can tell you from experience that even if you had decided to enroll Jack in a Kita at a later point in time, he will learn German quickly if one thing has been done by you: Making sure his first language (English) is developed appropriately. (Which I'm not doubting.)
If this one condition is fulfilled, he would still be able to learn German within 6 months if he were older.
Of course: The younger, the better. Because our brain can learn the most and fastest when we're under the age of 10, preferably even under 4!
Maybe some Turkish to. At least on berlin that'd be a given 🤣;-)
@@tilmaen and why shouldn't he? Over 40 years ago my sister started sprinkling italian into everyday consersation because her friends had italian parents.
@@sisuguillam5109 I don't disagree with you there ;-). Maybe my comment was a bit ambiguous, I'm all for learning many languages and showing interest for different cultures and languages.
@@tilmaen hoped so. 😉
I have experienced the opposite basically.Moving from Germany where I ran a public Kita ages 3 months to 14 , to the US , having a baby and being stunned by the lack of options for good, affordable childcare or even finding out a sign up process. We had a nanny for 3 years and then started pre school where my daughter actually learned english because we only speak german at home. I really missed the german childcare and school options here in the US.
Im sorry to hear you had such a rough time with childcare in the US. I know the availability of quality childcare programs varies so greatly from area to area (as does cost, naturally). We've been so pleased thus far with Jack's kita and so appreciative of his teachers.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and for watching the video. ❤️
Some little info: For german parents, it is completely normal to get all that gear second hand or donated from friends - kids grow so quickly, they never wear the tough weatherproof clothes out :-) usually, even the Kitas and Kindergardens have a flea market once a year.
Absolutely! We have frequently visited Kinderflomarkts around the city! Such a great way to pick up gently used items for your little one.
It’s nice they give the little ones time to adjust by starting with shorter days. Here in the US it is common for parents to start little ones off in daycare by dropping them off in the morning and leaving them all day.
Jack clearly takes after his father. The resemblance to Jonathan is unmistakable.
The problem you will have is: Which of those brown moving mudhills is my kid. And, yes we asked, you do not have to return the sand you find in your kids clothes and shoes, even if there is a sand hill bulding up in front of your house after some time
hahaha! That's hilarious. Perhaps at our new house we will just need to install an outdoor shower... or at least a well positioned hose to rise him off when he's done wallowing in the mud.
@@TypeAshton hehe, in all of my parent's houses we ALWAYS had a very large floor mat right inside the front door, roughly two by two meters. A door as close as possible to a tiled room in the cellar that contained the washing machine, for those extreme cases was a bonus in one house. Right next to that door usually was a garden hose. Often enough my mom saw me approaching as a kid either mud covered, soaking wet, or carrying or dragging a broken bike or scooter, or any combination of the previous. So she usually tackled me before I entered the house, and made me strip down to my scivvies, and carry the bedraggled clothes directly to the washing machine.
@@TypeAshton I put my former forest kindergarten kid in an blue ikea bag an undressed him standing in there. all the dirt falls in the (waterproof) bag. you need to get creative. eypecially if you pick them up by car :)
In case you didn't know, don't forget to put childcare costs in your tax declaration (Kinderbetreuungskosten), they're 2/3 tax deductible. So from the 450EUR you pay per month you'll get about 100-150EUR back, depending on how much tax you pay.
Yes this is a great point!
As I mentioned before. I really love your videos. See, Jack will become one of those "independent" kids that will go to school on their own like it is normal for kids in Germany. I mean, if you let him. I have seen a lot of videos about helicopter parents in the US and maybe the crime rate, gun policy and so forth play a big role over there. I like the fact that here it is not the same. I guess it will all in all be a really great experience for all of you.
I am from Austria and have sisters in the US. One of them had the rule to only speak german at home - her husband learnd to speak german just without any accent that way - when they went out of the house they only spoke english - so the children learnd to speak german and english perfektly - and the children had there own "secret language" when playing with other children ;-)
Jonathan and I are about to do a whole day of only speaking German to each other. It should be pretty funny. 😆
I like this description of 'daycare', it is such a major stage for child & mother, more people of all ages should appreciate this. It's tricky for praents with different career profiles. I think Jack and you were fortunate to find daycare. I think you are fortunate to expose jack to a good teaching environments, Montessori is only one.
Have you appeared on/got a connection with another CZcams channel? I have the feeling that you appeared elsewhere previoulsy, you are awesome anywway. The primary thing is to spend time with your child, talk, no loud sounds, Bach, fresh air, animals, pure food, etc.
Thank you! We have not been on any other YT channels other than a few reaction videos and several mentions. Maybe in the future!
If you want to embrace the outdoor experience even moe, you can enroll your kid to an forestkindergarden ( Waldkindergarten). The kids play all year around in the nature and if it really raining cats and dogs they have a little hut as shelter.
In the Konzeption of a Kita you can find all the things you descriped. So the teachers want to work with the Kids and they do, if the staff is complete. But many days of a year there isn' t enough staff for the children there. Teachers are on holidays, they are ill or go to "Fortbildung." Than for example the kids stay inside because there are not enough hands to put every kid the Matschhose on. Experts say for a good quality you need for two children under the age of 1 one teacher. And from 1- 3 years one teacher for three children. This often isn't the reality in the daily life of a kita. Lot of regards from a german teacher who has been working for more than 30 years in kita.
I have seen a few of them around Freiburg and just adore the concept. When Jack reaches age 3, I think we will look into it as an option. ❤️❤️
Yes my daughter goes to a Waldkindergarten and loves it. You just have to make sure the clothing is appropriate of course. But it's wonderful. I wish I had that growing up.
@@TypeAshton Yes, definitely look into Waldkindergarten. My youngest has been to one and it was so much nicer than the normal KiTas of my other children.
@@glucks-kita597 that : put the kid the matschhose on - sentence makes me laugh soo hard!!
I vividly remember the telling from my former boss (3 children - the youngest in Waldkindi) when the parents showed up ( in their fat SUV's) to collect their littles after a rainy day - all "armed" with blue rubbishbags to put their muddy little ones in - to not getting their precious cars dirty...
I cried of laughing, seeing that literally in my head!
And, of course, the kids were not "all in" the rubbish bags - poking their heads out still....😂😂😂😂
Just started watching you guys! Love that you’re also from the Midwest 💗 also an Illinois native living in Germany! My husband and I are expecting our first baby in October and your videos have been super helpful ☺️
👶🍼 congrates
This is a very informative video! Great job! We are actually about to do a video about kindergarten and our experience and yeah - it's SO different! The entire concept! It took us a while to understand what our daughter is doing in Kindergarten here and what the purpose is. Now we really love it.
Thanks so much! I hope your little one has a great experience in Kindergarten. Its such a fun time of year with all of the back to school festivities.
Hey, Sara! ;)
@@herzschlagerhoht5637 hi!!!
So you're not only creating awesome videos, but also watch others experiences in Germany? How the he** do you find the time besides being a mum and yt creator? ;D
Nice to see you here, Sara.
I really loved my Montessori Kita, good start for an open mind.
11:48 best translation of the proverb I have heard so far :-) 👍
Within kindergarten, the last year before kids start Elementary school, it's called "Vorschule" (Preschool). Kids will learn their first letters and numbers, some kindergartens will teach English as well.
Here in Rheinland-Pfalz kindergarten is free for kids age 2 and up.
Before kids start school they have to get a check up by the health department (Gesundheitsamt) to see if they're ready for school.
Even though KiTa/kindergarten isn't officially Mandatory ("Schulpflicht"), the government and doctors will look at families that don't put their children in Kindergarten for at least the last year.
You did a good job explaining the various options. It is still difficult for many people to find a space at a good Kita. Some folks at the playground said (jokingly?) that a friend signed up for Kita before she got pregnant. That said I have heard many horror stories from friends and family in the US about the high cost of daycare.
Funny, because our neighbor automatically registered our 2 children for the kindergarten before the birth after a short conversation (he was the head of the kindergarten at the time;)) Now our system has also changed to a central registration.
I have a different view. Daycare in the US is super cheap when compared to Switzerland. UK and New Zealand are also more expensive. Average daycare cost in the US is $1,200 per month. Average cost in Switzerland it's around $2,000. You can definitely go more expensive or less expensive in US and Switzerland. There are programs in the US that will help you get daycare if you cant afford it. The daycare I worked if you made $30,000 a year they would charge you $2,400 for the entire year or $200 a month.
All Kita stand for is Kindertageseinrichtung; the literal translation is: children (Kinder) day (tag) facility (Einrichtung). This is not, as suggested in the video (in all fairness many German native speakers wouldn't know this), a specific type facility but describes day care facilities in general.
Subsumed under the term Kita are:
- Krippe (crèche) is for children generally until the age of three
- Kindergarten (sometimes shortened to Kiga) [most akin to preschool in USA or Reception and a little younger in UK] most start when the are 3, and stay until they go to elementary school (USA) primary school (UK).
- Hort (after school daycare for elementary school children) I am not 100% sure if they count as a Kita because they don't go all day. As TAGESeinrichtung would suggest.
There are places where they mix the age grouping. Most often I have see Krippe and Kindergarten in the same building. But, it it can also have all three or just Kiga and Hort.
Little "Jack" (?) is so adorably alert ✨💡
To make it even more confusing, in Germany there is also "Vorschule", which translates to pre-school. This is after Kindergarten, for children who are not ready to go to the primary school, e.g. if they don't speek the language. So in Germany
Krippe->Kindergarten->pre-school->school
In the US
pre-school->Kindergarten->school
That's quite funny because in the US, they use the German word "Kindergarten" for something that is quite more like a school. Kindergarten means Children's garden and is more meant as a supervised playground as something having to do with school.
Is there still a 'Vorschule' ? In welchem Bundesland gibt es die noch ?
@@grandmak.
Ich bin nicht auf dem allerletzten Stand, aber vor ein paar Jahren gab es das noch hier in Hessen, für Kinder, die altersmässig in die Grundschule müssen, aber aus verschiedenen Gründen nicht so weit sind. Meist sind es fehlende Sprachkenntnisse. Ich habe nicht gehört, dass es abgeschafft worden wäre.
@@andreaseufinger4422 in Schleswig-Holstein gibt es die Vorschule schon eine ganze Weile nicht mehr. Mangelnde Deutschkenntnisse werden parallel zum Regelunterricht vermittelt ( Deutsch als Zweitsprache DaZ).
I am sure there will be many nuances between the two school systems that I will need to learn in the years to come.
When I was little, my elementary school in Illinois would offer parents either half-day Kindergarten or full-day kindergarten. Traditionally, full-day was recommended for children who needed addition help with acclimation or who struggled language or with learning disabilities. However, the last I heard they now encourage all children to do full-day.
There is no Vorschule in bawü
My mom says that grubby children are happy children. Which my kindergarten aged self of course quoted to the caretakers when they told me to stop playing in the mud puddles.
Kidergarten was als also great for fine motor skills because they did many arts and crafts projects.
I love it when little one's embrace their playful, creative side and "get messy". Jack has already started gravitating towards the sensory play toys. His kita has a set of bottles filled with gel balls, glitter, beads, etc. He loves it!
@@TypeAshton There is even more behind the concept of getting messy or eating some dirt while playing outside in sand, grass etc. As like as they easily learn new things, their bodies are also "learning" how to deal with possible threads, diseases and alike. So later on those kids who are playing outside "in the wild" or even might be infected with harmless things at that young age, are likely to develop a better immune system against those threads, less likely becoming allergic for something. In overall being healthier in future.
Oh this will be fun to watch. I leave near Ulm since 2007 from the USA. And had two kids.
Hi there! Nice to meet another Germany-via-USA family. Thanks so much for following along on our adventures. We hope you enjoy our videos. 😊
I'm a nursery teacher myself and I can assure you most kids like to play in the water and the mud. With "my" kids I always do a big mud fight in the summer when it's really hot. After that the kids are covered in mud from head to foot and I need three days to get all the sand out of my long hair, but the kids love it =) And it's refreshing too =)
The amount of sand I have vacuumed out of Jack's room is amazing. It is always everywhere. In his shoes, his clothes.... 🤣
@@TypeAshton 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a German and although I have no children, I can tell you, nobody is wondering why you put Jack in the Ki(nder)Ta(gesstätte) although he was 'only' 10 months old because Kita starts at an age of 6 months and there are a lot of single parents who couldn't go to work without this kind of institution but need the money of a full-time job and not only the 70% for parental leave. So it is important for them to have this opportunity. Also sometimes both parents have to work, study, study&work, etc. or just earn too less money in their jobs, then that is also a very fine possibility for them to do their business and be concentrated or have their jobs. So the Kita especially was established for younger kids (6 months tot 2,.5 years) and after a few (typical german 😎) discussions there was the decision that there should be a Kita place for every child in Germany but at the moment there is still a gap. For example, when I was young there wasn't something like a Kita, so my grandmother cared for my brother and me while my mother was working all the day. A completely different aspect besides native speaking and time for work/study etc. is the socialization of a child when it has to interact with other kids very early. They have to interact and get along with other kids, find their first friends, play with other kids, it's easier for them to learn the language and they use it more often than at home. Also afterwards they maybe already know some kids when they go to to Kindergarten (germ.)/preschool (am.)
Also I think it is very good and important that your kids grow up bilingual because then they learn both languages from the beginning in the right way. Sooner or later they have to learn English anyway, so the earlier the better and kids learn it really fast. My sister in law is from Russia and I have two nieces. Both learned both languages from the beginning and even if they mostly talk German at home, they can speak Russian fluently and that is very important to talk with their grandparents and relatives there. Another very good example is Terence Hill (the actor) who also speaks very good German although he only lived near Dresden for 4 years when he was a child. But you understand everything, he has a good grammar and also a quite good vocabulary although he then lived his whole live in Italy and America.
It is a funny linguistical aspect of understanding that the american 'Kindergarten' is our Vor (=Pre) schule (=school) and our 'Kindergarten' is the american preschool. 🧐🤓🙃 Yesterday I saw a video from #Feli from Germany in which she explained the inverted understanding of Vorschule/american Kindergarten and preschool/german Kindergarten.
Remembering the activities there when I was young we were a lot of time outside and played tag, in the sandbox, jumping rope, hide and seek and all that. Also we did a lot of handicrafts, celebrated in our age group everbody's birthday and had a lot of fun. Then there was from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the after-lunch sleep, except the big kids who were 5, they needn't to and could stay awake. 💪💪💪😂
But as a 'punishment' for bad behaviour there was always the possibility to send a child to the little kids who had to sleep for two hours and for example once another boy and I threw wet sand on each other and so we had to stay there and I can tell you, these were the most boring two hours in my whole life (until then 😂).
Thank you so much for this comment. We are really excited for all of the things Jack will learn in his Kita setting. We can tell that he has already grown so attached to the staff and has made new friends - which makes us so, so happy. It warms my heart that he smiles and is excited everytime we drop him off. ❤️❤️❤️
Dont worry, Freiburg i. Br. is the hottest (natural outdoor) place in Germany to live.
Many winters there haven't see any snow flakes...
No fun just the matter. 😉
as always Jack was awesome.👶🏼
I wish that I was so tough in my first kindergarten day 😜
Thank you! We are really thankful that he is transitioning well.
Many Public/Standard Kitas also allow for direct application, this distribution is primarily found in Citys running low on slots.
There is a huge difference in how daycare is seen and how many Kitas there are and about what age you would send your child between East and West Germany. In West Germany, it seems to be frowned upon to send your child before it is like 2 years old - or even at all. In the Bundesrepublik, women usually were expected to give up on their jobs once they had kids. If children went to Kindergarten, they would mostly only go for a few hours, until midday. In GDR, women were expected to of course work like every man did (the GDR had the highest working women rate in the world) - so there were enough Kindergärten and children would stay until their parents ended their work. Even today, beginning Kita around 10 month or so is normal in East Germany - while there still are people that consider women bad mothers, if they send their children in Kita at all in the West.
Hi.
I see, you know the german "Matschhose" already.🙂
Yes! They are so so cute. I just love them.
Moin.. Lustig ist's, wenn da im Vorraum 12 x dieselben Schietwedder-Garnituren nebeneinander hängen.. Weil ALDI grad Kindergarten-Aktionswoche hat! 😂
Hi there, thanks for your video. It got me thinking quite a bit ...
Believe me, I know exactly how wild it can get and how many things there are one can be concerned about, but don't be. Jack will learn perfect german even if he started Kindergarten when he's 3. I studied in Freiburg (English linguistics with focus on language acquisition especially in early stages of childhood - and let me tell you until a child is 5 years old he or she is able to learn a foreign language on a "Muttersprachler" niveau).
Me and my husband met there, we got married, we were both students when we expected our first child (we have four by now) we lived in Freiburg for 5 years. My husband studied Social work, I was in my final stages finishing my Bachelor Thesis.
I get, that you want your child to get the best care and education, but don't feel pushed towards Kita, just because it's the thing people do today! You are so excited about how great it is e.g. in Berlin, that some daycares are even for free. But there's always a reason for that. Germany wants their female employees back after birth as soon as possible - it's self interest not welfare. If you are concerned about the money if you stay at home for a little bit longer to be with him, to experience all the little steps with him together and not through photos the Erzieherinnen send you, there are always options like Wohngeld or you can get financial support from PRO FAMILIA especially when you're still a student.
Believe me, we were concerned about money too...but through friends and his social work studies my husband knew all the things about financial support for young families through like I said before "Wohngeld" and the Family bonus you get at PRO FAMILIA. I just wanted to let you know, that the reasons you stated why you put him in KITA should not scare you and they are not worth to miss the tiny developmental stages he will have with the Erzieherinnen and not you. You can give him more LOVE, EDUCATION and ATTENTION than any other human being in this wolrd. Please don't get me wrong I totally know there are families out there who have to make certain decisions when there is no alternative, but if you feel like you MUST put your child in a Kita but you don't want to (believe me I met mothers who were suffering from giving their children away but just because they didn't know about any other option) - Please just think twice it's a plea to not only you but to any woman out there struggling between staying at home and giving their child into daycare (because society wants you to)!
11:36: When we kids complained that we were bored and wanted to watch TV, our parents (and sometimes grandparents) told us to go outside.
"But it is raining!" - "Then put on a jacket." (Wellies were second nature to us. [wtf "Wellies"? - rubber boots])
In any case, we always found something interesting, even in the rain. The rain was also sometimes a good excuse for not hearing our parents when they called us home.
So cute, that little man!
Thank you! ❤️❤️
I'm bilingual and learned that way (English at home. German in Kita) and my son is experiencing the same thing. He will learn English and German just fine. English probably faster than German since that's the home language, but he'll still learn both.
(Try not to stress about it. I did with my son, even though I went through the same thing! My son spoke more English than German for AGES! And I was so worried, but now everything is fine)
That's my experience
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Jonathan and I are both born and raised in the US. And while we loved our childhoods, we didn't have the exposure to multiple languages. We are excited for Jack's time in Kita and to see him integrate into the group and grow his language skills. I'm so happy to hear that both you and your son had such a positive experience. ❤️
One of your most funny videos, because of the many cuts related to this little guy around you. And when i say "around" I mean "around" 🤣
As a daddy of three meanwhile grown up kids, I seem to know how intresting the cam gear and the shiny thingy is :D
Here in Hamburg we pay 55 Euro a Month for this. and thats Great. its a good solution to have more money for the Little kid
As someone who had a yellow rain jacket as a kid, I would recommend you to opt for a different color bc yellow attracts a lot of wasps and bees which led to me getting stung once near the eye. I had to wear an eyepatch and felt like a little pirate but thankfully I recovered pretty fast without any serious damage. But this may vary from region to region as wasps have more food and different population sizes in different regions and may not be as tempted to go for yellow rain jackets. It's just something to keep an eye on.
Oh my I didn't realize that! 😂😳 YIKES!
Hopefully it won't be too much of an issue. We chose yellow because it was pretty gender neutral. If we have another baby then we can pass down the outdoor gear.
On the other hand, yellow and orange are the safest colors to be seen from a distance or in traffic.
@@PeterPan-dz7mu there are light reflecting strips on most childrens jackets nowadays and there are also those high visibility jackets that kisd can wear in the dark
@@murti1565 There are. But that's only really helpful with a light source. If a kid decides to explore the forest, popping yellow is great.
@@TypeAshton uh, sorry, I have to disagree with gender neutral. It's only a concept in peoples head. All colours should be gender neutral.😘🤗
Awww, he is such a cute lil 'Mini Me' of Jonathan. 👍😄
Yes! Jonathan's genes were very strong with this little one. 🤣🤣🤣
Enjoy your content. I am not sure what it is that makes it so entertaining to watch foreigners experience the life in Germany. Having four children myself with my wife being half French I really regret to not have risen them with at least two languages. Well, the little one is now almost a year old, still a chance to do so, right? :) But I really like the idea of having your little boy learn both languages fully natively. I think it's a great opportunity. Wishing you all the best, always good choices and may our lifes in Germany become a little bit more normal soon.
Greetings vom Rheinland-Pfalz.
Awe thank you! We are very excited to hear a few of Jack's first German words start in the next few months. ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!
My little one started Kita at one year here (that was the youngest age allowed ). And I felt guilty as other German mum friends were keeping their kids home till age two ! But after a rough start she settled in and loved it there
I am really glad your little one adjusted well to Kita. Jack has been flourishing there and really loves it. He gets so excited when he sees the daycare teachers and his friends. ❤️
Literally across the boarder, it's way different.
We live in Switzerland and here, my maternity leave was 3.5 months and kita would around 2000+ dollars for full-time care. We also work in academia and are happily sending him a bit later in the day and for only 4 days, so that saves a bit of money. [but of course it's also a bit better in terms of academic pay here, I guess]
Our son started Kita at 7 months and we're also glad that he gets German at kita :) His first two words around 10 months were both (swiss-)German (besides mama and dadda), but he does say hi and bye in English and now, at 12 months, also some food things and some animals in both langauges. And it's really clear that he loves it there in general and we really like the philosophy here as well.
PS: Jack is adorable and seems to be a really big boy :)
We also have friends that live in Basel and are moving to Freiburg (partially) because of the significant cost of childcare. They are an international couple (Dutch/Lithuanian, but speak English to each other) and their little one is only 3 and knows words in 4 languages (Dutch, Lithuanian, English and German). It is SO incredible what their little brains can absorb with languages.
@@TypeAshton It is fascinating. Looking after other people's kids when I was younger, I always thought the fun ages are later but this time between 9-12 months and into the second year is so fascinating. It's some new connection, imitation and word every day :)
We have the same type of daycare system and thinking in Sweden with learning by playing
Hey, we all Northwest Europeans. 👍
good video! Before CORONA, kitas have many activities. I hope that restrictions ease soon and children can experience German culture and different activities ...
We do too. Our kita is *tentatively* still planning a Christmas party and a lantern festival. I hope we can keep it.
Hey the algorithm brings me to your channel. Great conted, love it. Willkommen in Deutschland 😀🍀👍
Awesome! Thank you! ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!
You should sign him up at ESO. I see a great career ahead as an astronomer. So many shiny things. :-)
YES. I could totally see him also as an engineer like his dad. He is always inspecting how things move and operate.
When talking about the costs I have to add that you can have the state pay for all of the costs if you are under a certain income level. We used that when we were still studying and even with my first income we were still under that limit. Only disadvantage is that you have to do kind of a financial striptease to proof you deserve it.
I just noticed how your pronunciation changed from the American 'kindergarten' to the German 'Kindergarten '. Nice
While hearing such praise - it has to be mentioned that this daycare is organized public at community (city) level plus all the private or society level. So the offerings and principles may vary a lot. Also in cities not all of these institutions are able to offer such outdoor activities - even if they try hard.
And - as most know that Germany like to complain: Not everywhere are enough places for all kids from 3 years on as the government once promised. How large the offerings below that age are I don't know.
The amount of places available for 1-2 year old varies widely depending on where you live. I had no trouble getting a place for my son where we live now, but before we moved it was impossible.
Good to now and learn What happens in Kita
Glad you enjoyed the video! ☺️
@@TypeAshton yess indeed
My children went into Kindergarten at age 3. The last year of Kindergarten in Hessen is free for 4 hours a day so the children socialise and learn German before elementary school even for the parents who don't want to spend money on childcare.
Great video
The CoPay depends on your income and houres choosen.
The more you earn the more you pay, same like healthcare.
Some staates like you said will fully pay for it (besides the lunch).
But some also have rules like if you have enrolled two children you only pay for one.
In my staate the last KiTa year before School is for free.
My working mate had two children same time in kita, he didnt pay because the first child was in the last year and the second one was for free :D
Yes, true! The cost varies depending on the number of your children enrolled, how long you desire childcare, and the age (over 3 or under 3). But I would hesitate to say that the more you earn the more you pay. At least in our experience, rather than it being a percentage of your income like healthcare, Kita is a flat rate per month unless you qualify for a low-income-based reduction grant. If your family's income qualifies this grant, you apply for it through the city office for Children, Youth and Family.
But my experience is limited to Freiburg. There could very well be differences in other regions that I'm not familiar with. Have you had this experience?
@@TypeAshton checked on „Elternbeitrag“ Freiburg and you are right. It’s a fixed amount of money. I think it varies from state to state.
here it is u2 or older than 2.
The prices are separated into 15h 25h 35h 45h a week and income :
Less than 20000
Up to
25000
37000
49500
61500
73000
85000
100000
More than 100000
At the 45h older than 2 it means it starts from being free of charge 20000 = 55€
to >100000 = 440€
U2 ranging from for free over 90€ to 590€
But with the thing last year being free of charge for all and siblings same time in Kita the younger one is also for free.
Which can lead to the situation that the older one doesn’t pay because it’s his last year, the younger one doesn’t pay because the older is still in Kita.
My city is in NRW
Ah okay good to know! Thanks for the helpful info. It is really interesting to see how the cost structure of Kitas vary from State to State (and really even Landkreis to Landkreis).
We just moved from Berlin to New York and the Eingewöhnung for our two year old starts in a month. How is the Eingewöhnung (acclimatisation phase) in the US different from Germany? Thanks.
Congrats on a big step that went well! 👍🏼😅
Thank you so much! We are really thankful that he is transitioning so well. I think he will really thrive in this environment.
In my opinion as sooner you start the better it is because they at this age is occupied for to discover but later is more difficult for to leave them there. Also you have right IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HIM AT THIS VERY YOUNG AGE for to hear the 'foreign' language as for them both is sound 'CHINES' and how and just start to understand
I am from the UK sending this message
Hi there! We are so glad you enjoyed the video. We also agree that having Jack in daycare was really the best option for us all around. Jack has SO MUCH FUN there and we are thrilled about all of the exposure to new friends, new lanugages, new toys, and new experiences. The transition went very smoothly for him which makes this mama very happy ❤️❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!
What I really hate, but seems to be dependent on the Kita, is the "parental homework" almost every week I need to bring in some handcraftet whatever. From a Lantern to a diy photo album of my family.... many of these projects are just so advanced that I cant even let my 2 year old whatch me doing them because they inkclude sharp cutters, hot glue, needles and the sample shown to me is always clearly made by very gifted grown ups.
I gave no Idea whether I am just misunderstanding them and it is supposed to be done by my child with my assistance or whether they think I booked daycare to sit at home bored.
Yes, in Berlin is free the kindergarten and after school for the first 2 years of school.
It's funny for me as we compare between Hessen/Germany to my wifes' home country Finland.
In Germany Kids usually do use bad clothing in bad weather conditions ALL. THE. TIME. :-D
All parents know the kids go to the playground but put Leggins on only, cold shoes and don't use comfortable gloves. You may easily spot the few russian and northern children.
My nice send her mom home after two weeks in the Kita (but mom cheated and waited outside in case of an emergency)
Moin Sil.! Lange nix von dir nirgendwo gelesen.. Hast hoffentlich heil pandemieren können..
LG aus dem heut stürmischen Schietwedder Ahrensburg Ben
@@tasminoben686 huhu CL. 😊 . Von der Pandemie sind wir relativ unbetroffen, "nur" zwei Kollegen, die kurz ausgefallen waren, aber die hatten leichte Verläufe. Ne inzwischen sind auch alle geimpft. Ich hoffe, bei dir sieht es ähnlich aus.
@@kilsestoffel3690 Moin Sil., ist schon wirklich ein Week vorbei?
Danke der Nachfrage, körperlich ja. Ich war von Nov. 20 an 8 Monde nur notfalls aus dem Haus. Btw. sind wir nat. durchgeimpft.
Dafür kamen andre Einschläge..
Feb. 20 ist, während Orkan Sabine eine unserer Hündinnen, 10 Ja. alt jämmerlich gestorben. Geht uns noch immer nach.
65. Geburtstag Ostern 20 war für die Tonne.
Pfingsten Zentralheizung final verreckt.. Neue 1 W. später. 10.000 Tacken..
Im Herbst 20 Fliesen Dusche undicht. Dazu mußte auch neue Duschkabine rein..
Feb. 21 Waschmaschine kaputt..
Die neue 4 Weeks später auch..
Neuer Backofen.. Kaputt, vom Hänger gefallen, austausch..
Haben, zum Glück festgestellt, daß der Elektriker vor 50 Ja. besoffen gewesen sein muß; Schutzleiter stand und Vollstrom!
Elektriker mußte neue Starkstromleitung ziehen.. 1000 Tacken..
1 Week vor meinem Geburtstag ist mein Apfeltelefon über Nacht verreckt, im Mai Meine Braillezeile..
Ach ja: Meinfrau mußte ihren Gaming-Pc zweimal reklamieren..
Nu zittern wir ängstlich.. Weil nichts mehr kaputtgeht! XD
Ach, und der Bill-Gates-Chip funktioniert auch nach der 2. Impfung nicht, muß noch immer bar bezahlen!
Schöne Woche Ben
I live in western germany (NRW) , maybe the system is a little bit different in Freiburg (BaWü), but here there is no generell age condition for the kids to go into the Kindergarten. There are many Kindergarten who even take kids from 3 months on. So even in very young ages you can choose between Kindergarten und einer "Kindertagesmutter".
i'm pretty sure it's the same kita where my grandson was ^^
I'am from the western part of North rhine westphalia and single and I have to say that I like those Vids verry mutch! Ok my english writting is a mess, but I hope you can understand what I wanna say 🤣😁 So Iam looking forewart for more. BTW I think Jack will be in the near future really fast and good luck to hold his speed. I think you will have realy fun with him!! 🤣🤣🤣
10:03 child being beamed away by whitelight 😲🤯
We put our first childcare with 11 month 😅 first because we had a place for her which is uncommon in february and we wanted to give her an acclimatization phase before we have to go back to work. But as always as a parent in germany: whatever you do, someones‘s always complaining 😂
Every family has to make the decision that works best for them. I'm happy you were able to find a place for your little one. I know that here in Freiburg, getting into your Kita of choice is no small feat. ❤️ Thanks for watching!
How is the food that they give the kids? Are they getting anything sugary, or processed, or high in sodium? Do the kids go outside at least once per day?
Ohhhhh my god .... what a cuteness ... he is an auntiekiller!
You got a detail wrong: The age for German children to enter the primary school system is either 6 OR 7. It typically is allowed for 6-year-olds, if their development is far enough. But the parents may opt to enroll their kid in primary school a year later; for the 7-year-olds it is obligatory.
Ah okay good to know! I suppose that it similar to in the US. Kindergarten usually starts for children at the age of 5. However, if you child needs a bit extra time they can begin at age 6. Makes sense to me!
That really depends on where you live in Germany. I'm an elementary school teacher in NRW and all children turning 6 before September 30th (Stichtag) will need to be enrolled. So some if the kids will still be 5 when the schoolyear starts on August 1st (official date for the beginn of a new schoolyear, summer holidays might last until September). Nowadays it's rare to let kids attend Kindergarten for one more year... only special medical reasons. I personally think that some kids really need some extra time and are enrolled too early. But often communities don't have enough kindergarten places and staff so it's cheaper to send them off to school because "they have up to 3 years time to finish the "Schuleingangsphase" = 1st +2nd grade. But at some schools (e.g. with children that come from families with difficult social background and/or high percentage of migrant families it's becoming more the norm than the exception that children really need those 3 years so all this brings new problems (class sizes, lack of teaching staff...) . I could go on and on about that topic, sorry if I bored anyone ;) ... Every Bundesland has it's own rules.
@@jauntyone Good to know. I was not aware that this differs regionally, too. I live in BaWü, so for the creators of the video and others in BaWü the information I shared should be right (As far as I heard from relatives with school children the bureaucratic rule has not changed since my own days in primary school. But the shortage of places in Kindergarten (German meaning!) is real, so yes starting school with seven instead of six is becoming rarer here, too.
@@jauntyone Really? In this case they changed both the Stichtag and the rules in NRW. I remember that my sister was close to the cut off date (and she is born in June), and my parents held her back another year (mostly because she was still very small and that would mean that she could go with her friends). The problem was more the other way around, it was impossible to get a Kindergarten placement for children younger than 4 back then.
@@jauntyone I'm an American living in NRW and my son will start Grundschule soon after 7 years old. We wanted him to have one more year to develop his German and for his emotional and social development. It was no problem to do this.
The real cost of a U3 childcare is roughly >2000€ pro child per moth..the fee for the parents cover just approximaly 20% of the costs, the rest is paid by the taxpayer. So it's not free, even if you live in a state where you don't have to directly pay. Also most kindergartens (like Hospitals, homes for the elderly etc) are not run directly by the state, but by social welfare institutions like Red Cross or the catholic or evangelic churce, but are funded by the state to 90%.
Hi there!
Yes of course. You are right, these costs vary because of state subsides vis-a-vis taxpayer money. However, I wanted to ask - how you found/know the 2,000 euro per child per month (pre-subsidy) rate? I tried doing a bit of google searching before I made the video because I wanted to include that data and I struggled to find a good source. This is probably an error on my part because I didn't know the appropriate term in German. I would love to know for the future.
Thanks so much again and I hope you enjoyed the video! ☺️
@@TypeAshton I'm a member of my local city council and there was a big public discussion when we have to raise the kindergarten fee 😂 because the parents are pissed to pay nearly 400€ for the first U3 kid, when our state transfer money to other states via inter-state fiscal adjustment where it's for free ^^
There's a conference every few years between the representitve bodies of villages, citys, counties (German equivalent of course) - so called "Gemeindetag, Städtetag und Landkreistag" - and the represantatives of the social welfare institutions (Caritas, Diakonie) and the churches (catholic and evangelic churche). This meeting is called "4K-Konferenz" in Baden-Württemberg. They decided a guideline that the parents should pay nearly 20% of the deficite of a kindergarten. So 400€ = 20% -> 2000€ = 100%. My village pays round about 1 million € per year for two kindergartens (one is run by the municiple, one is run by the church)
Wow! Thank you so much for the information. That makes total sense and I can also see why I probably struggled to find additional information online. 🤣
I do have one more question (if you don't mind. I hope I am not bothering you 😊). My husband and I were curious as to whether or not you pay "extra" to have your child attend a Kita that is run by churches if you don't pay church-tax. We aren't affiliated with the church and we ended up enrolling Jack in a Kita run by the University. However, we almost signed him up for a Catholic Kita because it is right around the corner from our house and has a brand new facility with a spectacular outdoor area.
In the States, if you sign your child up for "private" school run by a church but aren't a member of the church you have higher tuition fees. I wasn't sure if it was the same in Germany or not. Do you know?
@@TypeAshton My longer message was deleted ^^ You shouldn't have any problems and pay exact the same fees. Most of the parents decision is based on location or pedagogical concept.
1-2 month?! All my sisters and I had just a week.
Here in Germany you have to pay a lot and it's sometimes very hard to get a place in childcare cause there are not enough.
Wow! We JUST today got the "all-clear" to stop the transition process next week and have Jack go full time. In total, our transition was considered very smooth and took 1 month.
@@TypeAshton That sounds cool. Just be aware that some kids realize a bit later that there is significant change and start to give a harder time. This might give you the impression that your child doesn't wanna be there. It's very important to give the teachers then the trust to console your child. If you try to interact because you get a bad conscience you actually only prolong the process and since you act unsure your child picks up on that and mirrors you and starts to get unsure too. It's really hard, because we don't want to see our child crying and give it a hard time. Some kids even kinda act for their parents because it's what the parents expect, and then when the parents eventually left, kids went from 180 to 0 as if nothing happened, it's truely mindblowing to witness this some times.
But then again there's kids who just don't do this at all and just enjoy their time there, my daughter did for sure not miss me ;-)
There is no bad weather, there are only bad clothing choices, because you are not made from sugar. Therefor wear your ALLWETTERJACKE, no one has died from a bit of rain.... man I love my culture sometimes.
Interesting insights! What is the child to staff-ratio at your kita? You are very brave to send him so early. I was so worried about attachment going wrong that we withdrew our enrolment. Our daughter was meant to start kindy at 18 months. I guess I am a worried mum.
In his Kita there are always 2 senior leaders and then two student interns "in training". Together, there are 4 staff members for 10 little ones. Jack has always been a fiercely independent kid. Although my mama heart wishes he'd cuddle more, he crawls away speedily from me to his friends at Kita each and every morning.
@@TypeAshtonThat is a great staff to child-ratio. In our state there are only two members of staff (1 senior member and 1 member-in-training) for 12 children).
Amazing your son is so independent. Well done.
Our daughter still needs lots of cuddles/ attention from us. She would not have done well in kita with the staff issues we have here, I guess.
So Jack will be becoming trilingual in two years, when he enters Kindergarten. With Freiburg being only some Kilometers from the Alsace they are doing French songs in Kindergarten, are they not? Stuttgart would be English, because no border is nearby.
Perhaps! I hope someday he will have the gift of being trilingual. In his Kita they do practice French nursery rhymes, but I don't know if they reinforce other vocabulary. In the States, didn't have any real introduction to foreign languages until I was 15. I am excited for Jack to be introduced to many languages at a young age when his brain is really like sponge.
@@TypeAshton A (German) friend of mine married an Indian and lives in New Delhi in an international community (schools, clubs, playing with other kids, .... Her daughters are fluent in English (Father), German (Mother) and Hindi (grand parents). According to their mother the girls decide what language to use by looking at skin color and hair color :-).
From what I heard so far, 2-3 languages are no problem for kids to learn in parallel. as long as they understand where to use what.
I actually grew up in Freiburg and we did learn some French songs and even learned some French in primary school. But it was just the bare basics, so you cannot really say that kids near the border are bilingual. Still, you have the option to learn French in the „weiterfürhende Schule“ but not all schools here do that. It was more popular in the past but these days more schools transition to teaching Spanish, Russian, Italian or Greek instead of French. It does look different with English, tho. Everyone has to learn English, since it is the world language, but almost evryone here can talk English. Especially the younger generations get more and more fluently with it. I hope this helped to clear some things up :)
@@kiri7606 Ok, convinced, Kindergarten is not exactly "trilingual". But it helps to learn sounds that are not used in your own mother language
@@kiri7606 Thanks for your first hand perspective! When I went to pick up Jack yesterday, the little ones were learning nursery rhymes in French and it made my heart happy. Just the exposure, even in small ways is such a refreshing thing to see.
Also, a small (although funny) story. I don't think they really do much exposure to English in his Kita (which is totally fine). But apparently the other little ones have caught on that I don't speak their language. And when I dropped off Jack at Kita and said "See ya later! Bye Bye!", three of the toddlers came running to the door and said "later! bye bye! bye bye!". All of the child caretakers and myself had a nice laugh. Little ones are just like sponges when it comes to language. Makes my heart happy. ❤️
The child care I work at is about $200 a month
Good to see everything works out for u 3 ;d
Beside - I heard that children should attend Kindergarten before primary school as they should be socialized to other kids (at least in Nordrheinwestfahlen). I assume this similar to the preliminary school you mentioned from the US.
Hi there! Yes, so in the United States we do have "Pre-School", which is similar to German Kindergarten. Many are offered through church organizations and some large city school districts also have programs. However, this is not necessarily a pre-requisite to enter US Kindergarten (which is part of elementary school) at the age of 5.
@@TypeAshton I could try to ask some teacher - as far as I remember, it is mandatory
Where did you buy the waterproof outfit? It's SO cute
We purchased it from a local retailer in the city center called "Fräulein Smilla". However, you can also purchase them via Amazon in a variety of colors: amzn.to/3AwbPTT
@@TypeAshton Thank you, I will look into it.
13:18 I think he was really trying 😂 and thinking hard 🤔💭 HOW to say that last bit ;-)
May I ask how long did the acclimation period take with Jack?
For us it was just about 4 and a half weeks. It went by pretty smoothly for us without any real issue. However, they did warn us it could take up to 2 months.
In Baden-Württemberg the costs for Kitas is decided by the City (Landkreis) you're in. For my 1,5yo I pay 690€ for full-time Kita so I guess you're lucky 😭
Oh man, yes. We had another viewer let us in on this pricing strategy and I am currently looking up the costs of Kita in the town we are moving to next summer. It was something we didn't even know that we needed to think about! Thanks so much for the helpful tip and for following along on our adventures. 😊
Wir wohnen in der Nähe von Freiburg und eine 5-Tages-Betreuung bis 14.30 Uhr kostet rund 600 Euro mit Mittagessen. Vesper für den Vormittag muss man dennoch selbst mitbringen. Habe noch niemanden gehört der mehr für die Betreuung zahlt als wir 🙈
The "Eingewöhnung" usually only takes a few days, maybe in some cases 2-3 weeks, depending on how quick the child adapts to it. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for example you only have to pay for the food, the daycare itself is free. In Munich too. Either the whole state decides to make it free or cities/municipality make it free or at least less expensive. And in most regions you have no choice which Kindergarten has a free place for your child. So some parents need to bring their child some kilometers every day, maybe even into a neighbour city/state. The demand on daycare is higher than they can serve.
Wow that is really interesting! Our parent handbook from the Kita said to expect 1-2 months for the transition. Jack's went extremely smoothly and we were right at 1 month. We had also read that Kita costs vary significantly from state to state. Really interesting to hear about what your experience has been. I am looking forward to seeing how this shifts for us when we move next summer to a different municipality. ❤️ Thanks for watching and Cheers from the Black Forest!
Very nice Sharing dear respected friend full support and Big Likes from Ahmed Ali Nizamani,,,,..,
Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video!
I’d be interested in your observations about whether this independent mindset lasts. I watched in Japan kids taking the subway to school at ages that would be shocking in the US. Yet a few years later they are very much expected to conform. We see a lot of young European men (never women, but that’s another topic) here in the Bay Area shopping their ideas for startups and they complain that no one wants to take a chance on entrepreneurship in Europe. 🤷♀️
I think this would be a great opportunity for a video when Jack gets a little older. We have observed much of the same in Germany. Kiddos here will bike to school on their own and take public transit alone at an age that would be unheard of in the US. It is pretty cool!
Honestly, it all comes down to the daycare - not the country. My kid went to Kindercare in the mid 90s. They had pc playtime using educational games starting at around 2.5yrs. She had an excellent start. I ruined that by bringing her to the Netherlands and putting her in school system that was apparently 'amazing' - calling it 'less-than' is being generous.
I will admit I was a bit nervous before we put Jack in Kita. Because of the Lockdown there was no "parent open house" and we couldn't come and visit any of the facilities in the city. Our first tour was after we had already committed to placing Jack there. Thankfully, the pictures and description did it justice, and we are very pleased with the staff and childcare environment.
@@TypeAshtonIt's good to be nervous. It keeps your eyes open. I should have sent my kid back to the states as soon as I saw the school. I thought it was a derelict building :/
At that age unlessvperhaps your child was more advanced is great most european kindergardens let kids play in nature adveture playgrounds and in general the montesory system for a more independent and secure child
Again if usa excells in someting is their individual programs for special needs to gifted ones
I'm pretty sure most schools come with a playground. She didn't need to go to a daycare/school to play in nature, that was what she did after school.
Montessori schools are only as good as the teacher teaching.
@@mamasplayinhookie3131 how lucky in my state they decided they would rather teach them to read and they do like parrots but with no critical thinking whatsoever ugh in a age they should just play im thinking in just getting them with my mom instead
as german in usa it was confusing that Kindergarten means already doing school, learn lettets, words and till 100. felt very early for me...
It is interesting how different the pedagogical approach is. I don't know if schools still do it, but when I was in Kindergarten in the US they had the option of only doing a half-day at Kindergarten. This (for me) made it feel less pressured.
May I ask in which field you are graduating? Appreciating scientists for their work.
My doctorate will be in Human Geography. Specifically, my research regards the political-economic processes which shape low-income housing policy and how it in turn influences where social housing is constructed within cities. 🤓
@@TypeAshton Interesting! In Hamburg we have a "Drittel-Mix" when new buildungs are built. 1/3 condonimiums, 1/3 normal rent, als 1/3 Social housing.
The problem with social housing is that it has its status only for a certain period of time. That's why social housing is decreasing in Germany despite lots of effort to build new buildungs.
10 thumbs up for the guy with the lamp.
Jack is so so cute
Thank you! ❤️❤️
TBH Childcare in the state of Berlin is free, simply because other states pay for it via Länderfinanzausgleich.
If you have not already done so, you should contact the New Zealand CZcamsr "Antoinette Emily", who now brings three children through the German daycare and school system. Besides, I would like to give you a big compliment for your choice of scenes and the editing of the film. I can only guess how big the outlay really is.
She has great advice and I have enjoyed her videos very much! I will definitely reach out to her in the future.
And thank you so much for the kind compliment on the editing! It's a lot of work but something I really enjoy doing.
.so inspiring. So depressing to live in the US. Have been a child welfare advocate all my life but never did deep dive on childcare til had my own. The underside of the slimy rock is in tx,straight through. When my son became suicidal at age 5 in kindergarten, I thought it was that school, that teacher, when changed schools and he was still in hell I took him out and homeschooled him with eclectic Montessori-ish style involving being outside, hatching chickens, having dairy goats no work sheets and tons of museums, parks and tours. Hard part is working as nurse where the jobs don't value employees or employee children.It was so hard to fight all the battles, stupid busywork, withholding outside time if worksheets not perfect, delaying lunch til 1300 for 7yo, violence in daycares who abruptly changed hours or staff, gave popcorn for meals, finding out that you can't even ask for identification or TB screening if hiring a nanny, licensed daycare means only valid for that day. The costs varied so widely .If I had known what I do now I would not have had a baby in US, think many are now making that decision.
I am really sorry to hear that you and your son had such a hard time finding supportive, empathetic childcare. I really hope that the two of you are doing great and flourishing now and that the States can work towards a system that is more supportive of you and families like yours. ❤️ hugs. ❤️
So the cost is actually 450 euros and you get to keep the 200 euro per child ?
Yes. So the cost of Kita per month does vary a little from Kita to Kita, but generally 450 euros is the cost including lunch. But every family in Germany (including those with temporary residence permits) is entitled to Kindergeld. In 2021, it is 219 euros per month per child (this increases if you have more than 4 children). You can spend that money as you wish to help with raising your child. But I use it as an example to show how affordable childcare can be compared to the States.
I hope this explanation helps! Thanks for watching. 😊