Kindergarden and Daynursery (1- to 6-year-olds)

In Germany, children may begin their pre-school education the so-called German Kindergarten (Engl.: “a garden for children”), which is mostly run by church institutions, different organizations, or private companies. An important difference to other countries is that the German Kindergarten usually does not provide children with formal instruction as a basis for school (e.g., language learning or …), but rather assists in the child’s development of personal and social skills in a playful way. In contrast to the state-supported school education, pre-school education is not free and the fee is usually based on the parents’ income. Nevertheless, most parents send their children from age three to six to Kindergarten. To especially help international families working at the University of Kaiserslautern, the university has established a “Uni-Kita” and the Fraunhofer Institute offers the Kindergarten “Klammeräffchen” right next to the institute. The city of Kaiserslautern further offers a great number of Kindergarten institutions distributed in and around the city.

After Kindergarten, the children continue their education in a primary school.