Claim to a childcare place: nursery or all-day primary care (Germany)
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This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The letter to the local youth welfare office (Jugendamt) by which parents in Germany claim their child's right to a childcare place under § 24 of Book VIII of the German Social Code (SGB VIII): a nursery place or a childminder from the first birthday and — new since 1 August 2026 — all-day care for children who start Year 1 from the 2026/2027 school year. It gives the start date, the hours needed and the places already tried, and asks for confirmation of receipt and a written decision. The dated letter is the proof that counts if no place is found. In German, ready to print, sign and hand in.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Parent
- Parent's address
- Phone
- Youth welfare office (Jugendamt)
- Youth welfare office's address
- City
- Date
- Kind of childcare claimed
- Child
- Child's date of birth
- Start date
- Hours of care needed per day
- Reason
- Nurseries or childminders already asked for a place
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Is this letter needed if the German town has its own online registration for nursery places?
- Many towns and districts allocate places through their own portal or form, which is free, and you should register there too. But the legal right is owed by the public youth welfare body, the Jugendamt (§ 24 SGB VIII). This letter registers the need with it in writing and with a date — the proof that counts if no place is ready on the start date you asked for.
- How early must the need for childcare be registered with the Jugendamt in Germany?
- Land law may require parents to tell the Jugendamt a set time before the start they want (§ 24(5), second sentence, SGB VIII), and the period differs from Land to Land. Ask the Jugendamt and write as early as you can. It is worth it: the Federal Court of Justice awarded parents their lost earnings because the Jugendamt found no place despite timely notice (III ZR 278/15).
- What has applied to all-day care for primary pupils in Germany since 1 August 2026?
- Children who start Year 1 from the 2026/2027 school year have a right to all-day care of eight hours on weekdays, school holidays included; Land law may allow a closure of up to four weeks a year. Lessons and the all-day school's activities count towards the eight hours. The right grows by one year group each year until all four primary years are covered in 2029/2030. It guarantees neither a free place nor a particular kind of care.
- How should the claim be delivered so that its receipt by the German Jugendamt can be proved?
- The safest way is to hand it in yourself and have the receipt confirmed, with the date, on a copy, or to send it by registered post with a return receipt (Einschreiben mit Rückschein). An e-mail proves receipt only if the Jugendamt confirms it. That is why the letter expressly asks for written confirmation of receipt; keep it with your copy.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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