FAQ

Usually around 10:1.

The waiting list is always maintained for the entire daycare year and ends at the end of July, i.e. if you have not received a place and are still interested for the next daycare year, you must reapply on our website starting in August.

No – the John F. Kennedy School admission process is completely independent.  Information can be found on their website.

No, you do not need a daycare voucher until you are offered a spot. The processing time varies from each district youth welfare office – usually it takes about 3 months. You can find the registration form here on our homepage.

We only accept registrations for the coming daycare year. The registration period is from August to the end of February.

Due to the approximately 500 registrations per year that we receive, we can only make appointments for visits when we can offer you a place for your child.

The places are drawn by lottery in March. You will receive an acceptance / offer of a place by email in April / May. Cancellations are sent out in May / June.

The daycare year begins on 01 August and ends on 31 July.

This is only possible if we have free places available. The allocation is made from the waiting list.

Kita Am Fichtenberg:

Children who are born by 1st October of the previous year can be admitted the following year (10 months old on 1st August)

Kita „Lucky Kids“:

Children who are born by 1st February of the previous year can be admitted the following year (1.5 years old on 1st August)

We can usually accommodate children in all age groups.

You can find more details here.

Since we usually have more applications than available places (approx. 10:1) in all criteria relevant to the concept, the decision is made by lottery. We do not want to evaluate special, individual, personal circumstances and these are therefore not taken into account.

If we have openings, siblings of children who are in our care will receive priority for a spot.

If you wish to enroll more than one child, please fill out a separate enrollment form for each child.

No – the admissions procedures are completely independent of each other. Information can be found here.

Currently we do not charge additional fees. However, we ask you to support us with your club membership when you sign a childcare contract.

Our facilities are also subject to the staffing ratio stipulated by the Senate, which is based on the age of the children and the amount of care they receive.

You can find the closing time of the daycare centers here.

We organise the settling-in period according to the Berlin settling –in model.  We try to focus on the needs of the children and your own schedule. Usually the settling-in is completed after 4 weeks.

We work according to the immersion principle. This means that in each group there is a German-speaking and an English-speaking teacher who communicate with the children in their native language. However, all of our staff can switch to the partner language in „emergencies“ such as homesickness or a conflict situation.

The children themselves decide in which language they communicate.

All children have a rest period. The nursery children all lie down, if a child does not fall asleep within a reasonable time, he/she leaves the room with one of the educators.

In the elementary area, the children decide if they want to sleep or participate in read-aloud/quiet time.

Preschoolers participate in a read-aloud time.

Since we have our own kitchen, we can accommodate the individual food needs of the children (lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.). Our daycare centers are pork and nut free.

We expect you as parents to attend parents‘ evenings twice a year and to participate in the group Christmas parties and summer festivals. In addition to the introduction interview, we will conduct an individual development interview with you about your child at least once a year.  We are also available for discussions after registration.

An English-speaking and a German-speaking parent representative is elected from each group and meets every 6 weeks with the management and the deputy. There, concerns and innovations of the facility are passed on, as well as feedback and suggestions from parents are heard and events such as the flea market are planned. There is a protocol for each of these meetings for all parents.

In consultation with the teachers, parents are always welcome to tell us about their cultural and professional environment, to accompany excursions, or to read books aloud.