Kitas or day care centres are places where your child and children of the same age can spend stay under the supervision of trained care-takers during days. During this time, the children play, do gymnastics, paint, do handicrafts and sing together. They also learn to get along and solve quarrels peacefully. In addition, the children in day care centres are familiarised with nature, nutrition, technology, other people and traffic safety and get acquainted with letters and numbers. The children in these centres get to visit playgrounds, theatres and libraries and celebrate festivals celebrated together. They may play indoor or outdoor in summer or winter. Therefore, your child needs weatherproof clothes which you do not mind becoming dirty.
The word "Kindertagesstätte" or Kita is a collective term for various forms of childcare. In general, there are three distinct types of child day care in Germany: Nursery (Kinderkrippe), kindergarten and After-school Care (Kinderhort).
- Nurseries are for children under the age of three.
- Kindergartens are for children between three and seven years.
- In After-school Care, primary school children are taken care of after school in the afternoon.