Day care
Berlin offers a diverse array of day care facilities. The city is a leader in this area when compared to the West German states.
Day care centers and child day care are free for all children in Berlin. There is only a catering charge for lunch. In Berlin, children under the age of three also have access to day care outside the home if their parents can demonstrate a need for it.
The expansion of day care centers is an important issue for the Berlin State government. In March 2025 there were approx. 2,870 childcare facilities in Berlin with roughly 198,000 approved places for childcare. The number of places increased by one percent comparted to the previous year in Berlin. Berlin's day care facilities also keep more convenient hours; the city has substantially more full-day day care facilities than other regions of (West) Germany.
- roughly 171,000 children attended publicly funded child day care in Berlin
- 58 % of Berlin’s children were cared for all day
- 99,5 % of the children took part in the lunch service
(Source: Office of Statistics Berlin Brandenburg, as of March 1, 2025)
Over 90 percent of all day care offerings include the lunch hour. Parents who work outside the opening hours of day care and after-school facilities can apply for supplemental child care. In addition, Berlin has made the transition to all-day schools across the board. During school vacations, parents can apply for child care during core hours if necessary.