Early Education in Daycare Centres

Mädchen malen im Kindergarten

Learning in the first years of its life is of great importance for your child’s future life. Child education, parenting and care of your child in your family is supplemented and supported in daycare centres and day care. Girls and boys are encouraged in their social, emotional, physical and mental development right from the start.

Berliner Bildungsprogramm

Berlin Educational Programme for Daycare Centres and children’s Daycare

The “Berlin Educational Programme for Daycare Centres and children’s Daycare” is the basis of the educational work of all Berlin daycare centres. It offers a binding, science-based and professionally tested framework for preschool teachers.

It explains what basic knowledge, skills and abilities your child will need to successfully embark on their life’s path. Based on these fundamentals, the programme explains what content children are to be introduced to and how they can be supported according to their individual level of development and inclinations.

The Berlin educational programme ensures that all children acquire the best possible conditions for their further education and that daycare and parents remain in a dialogue. A regular exchange of information between the daycare centre and the parents promotes the well-being of the children and their exploration of the world.

  • Berlin Educational Programme for Daycare Centres and children’s Daycare

    PDF-Document (11.8 MB)

  • Elterninformation zum Berliner Bildungsprogramm (german)

    PDF-Document (771.6 kB)

  • Berlin’s Early Years Programme - Information for parents

    PDF-Document (871.4 kB) - As of: en

  • Programme éducatif de Berlin pour la petite enfance - Informations pour les parents

    PDF-Document (843.8 kB) - As of: fr

  • Programa de formación de Berlín - Información para los padres

    PDF-Document (761.0 kB) - As of: es

  • Berliński Program Edukacyjny - Informacje dla rodziców

    PDF-Document (762.0 kB) - As of: pl

  • Берлинская образовательная программа - Информация для pодителей

    PDF-Document (869.5 kB) - As of: ru

  • Berlin Eğitim Programı - Ebeveynler için bilgiler

    PDF-Document (773.8 kB) - As of: tr

  • البرنامج التعليمي البرليني - معلومات للأهالي

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  • Chương trình giáo dục của Berlin - Thông tin cho phụ huynh

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Language education

Your child’s ability to express themselves, to understand others and to be able to read and write are essential prerequisites for their individual development and for being able to participate in society.

The basics of your child’s language develop in the first years of life in contact with their environment. This includes you as parents, other children and their educators. The stimulating daily routine in the daycare centre offers many opportunities for communication.

Language education in the daycare centre is integrated into everyday life. In the daycare centre children who grow up multilingual come into regular contact with the German language, which is so important for later success in school – the earlier, the better. The language of origin can be maintained at home.

The language learning diary

Your child receives a language learning diary at the daycare centre. With the language learning diary, the teachers accompany every child during the entire time they spend in daycare.

The preschool teachers regularly monitor the linguistic progress of each child and document in the language learning diary the individual language development, the ability to communicate and the joy and interest in dealing with books and other media.

  • The language learning diary (german)

    PDF-Document (579.2 kB) - As of: 2018

  • Guide to the language learning diary for educators (german)

    PDF-Document (2.6 MB)

  • Supplements to the language learning diary - Topics and suggestions for further discussion occasions (german)

    PDF-Document (21.7 kB)

Transition to primary school

The transition from daycare to primary school is an important step in your child’s life. In the daycare centre, the children acquire skills that will be useful in their further education. Your child will be prepared for school during their entire daycare time.

The Berlin education programme describes what your child needs to be able to do in order to get off to a good start in first grade. As parents, you are very important to your children in this phase. However, good preparation for school does not mean that you practice reading, writing and arithmetic with your child beforehand. Rather, it is about supporting your child with patience and care in their independence and self-confidence.

In everyday family life you have numerous opportunities to prepare your child for learning at school. You can find some suggestions for the transition from daycare to primary school in our flyer Ready for school

  • Ready for school - Suggestions for getting ready for primary school

    EN

    PDF-Document (153.9 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • Готовність до школи - Рекомендації щодо підготовки до початкової школи

    UA

    PDF-Document (161.4 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • К школе готовы - Идеи для подготовки к начальной школе

    RU

    PDF-Document (161.0 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • Gotowi na rozpoczęcie szkoły, Sugestie dotyczące przygotowania do nauki w szkole podstawowej

    PL

    PDF-Document (157.8 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • Готови за училище, Предложения за подготовка за началното училище

    BG

    PDF-Document (161.1 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • Pregătit pentru școală, Sugestii de pregătire pentru școala primară

    RO

    PDF-Document (156.8 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

  • Okula Hazir İlkokul yıllarına hazırlık için öneriler

    TR

    PDF-Document (156.6 kB)

  • جاهز للمدرسة

    AR

    PDF-Document (184.1 kB) - As of: Januar 2024

Language level and language support

Two years before compulsory school attendance, it must be determined for all children whether they have the language skills necessary for instruction in German. If the determination of the language level shows that a child has special needs, the child must take part in a targeted language course.

Further information on language proficiency testing and language training

Later enrolment

It is possible to postpone school-age children from attending school and to enrol them one year later. A prerequisite for starting school at a later date is that the child’s level of development can be better supported in a daycare centre. Your child will then stay in the daycare centre for another year.

Erzieherin spricht mit Jungen in Kita

Language level and language support (german)

Your child's linguistic development is regularly observed and documented at the daycare center. 15 months before school starts, the educators survey each child's level of language development to determine whether language skills are appropriate for the child's age. More information

Mädchen mit Ranzen bei Einschulung

Registration for the start of school (german)

Here you will find all information about the registration of your child / children for you responsible elementary school. More information

Drei Schüler in der Grundschule

Elementary school

The continuous improvement of the teaching and learning culture is a focus of Berlin’s primary schools. All-day school offerings create time to change educational offerings in terms of content and method and to support all students individually. More information

Kita-Kinder mit Erzieherin

Quality in day care for children (german)

Dokumente mit Handy

Child day care - technical information (german)

Dokumente mit Handy

Child day care center supervision - technical information (german)