Germany’s new daycare law aims to strengthen early education

Germany’s planned daycare law would require every child to undergo an assessment of language and developmental progress by the age of four, Family Minister Karin Prien told dpa.

The government is discussing the Start Opportunities and Quality Development Act, which aims to identify children who need support before they begin school. Prien said early assistance could help address inequalities in Germany’s education system, where educational pathways depend heavily on family income, parents’ education and social circumstances.

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Every child in Germany will in future have their language and developmental level diagnosed by the age of four at the latest.

The draft, published in July, provides for about 9.25 billion euros in federal funding between 2027 and 2034. The money would help daycare centres in difficult situations hire more educators and social workers. “Where there is a greater need for support, more resources must also flow in,” Prien said.

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Where there is a greater need for support, more resources must also flow in.

The proposal focuses on bringing more children into public childcare, addressing language gaps early and countering developmental difficulties through targeted help. Four-year-olds who do not attend daycare would also take part in assessments covering language, movement and development. For the first time, the draft calls for nationwide standards for those tests.

All daycare centres would receive more money, time and support for the assessments, but the strongest assistance would go to facilities serving large numbers of children from difficult living conditions. For every 80 children, the plan would fund at least 20 additional staff hours a week. The figure would rise to 40 hours for centres with more than 80 children and 60 hours for those with more than 120. At least 10% of daycare centres in each federal state would receive this special support.

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Early support in kindergarten is a game changer.