Kitacosts
Costs for daycare centers and daycare: Financial relief for parents in NRW
Childcare costs money. The state and federal governments provide families with a wide range of financial assistance. This ranges from exemption from contributions to daycare centers and the assumption of costs for shared lunches to tax relief. In the following, you can find out what options are available to you and where you can apply for help.
Contribution-free years in NRW
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is providing targeted relief for young families with young children. As of August 1, 2020, the last two years before a child starts school will be tuition-free for all parents, regardless of income. If a child turns four by September 30 of a year, no more contributions have to be paid from August of the same year (start of the new daycare year) until the child starts school. That applies to the care in a Kindertageseinrichtung just like in the Kindertagespflege.
Furthermore, parental contributions per family are raised only once, even if several children of the family are cared for. Parents do not need to pay more for cared for siblings.
What are the costs for childcare?
For children in care before the age of four, parents generally must pay a monthly child care fee. The following costs may apply:
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Monthly contribution amount for care:
The costs for daycare are set by the respective responsible municipality. The contribution structure and amount can vary in the individual municipalities and cities. The parental contribution usually depends on income, the age of the child (under-three-year-olds and over-three-year-olds), and the amount of time spent in daycare each day. Ask the Youth Welfare Office or the selected local facility or daycare provider about the exact conditions. Further information on the calculation of the parental contribution can be found here on the Familienportal.NRW.
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Cost of meals:
The costs for lunch and other meals must usually be paid by the parents directly to the daycare center or the daycare provider. The exact amount is determined by the facility or the caregiver and can be inquired there in advance.
Families with low income get financial help
With costs incurred for the Kitabeschuch, there are various financial support options for parents. Families and single parents can take advantage of these aids and subsidies if they meet the respective requirements:
Steuererleichterungen
Einen Teil der Kosten für die Kindertagesbetreuung können als Sonderausgaben von der Steuer abgesetzt werden. Alles, was Sie über das Thema „Kinderbetreuung und Steuern“ wissen müssen, finden Sie in diesem Beitrag auf dem Familienportal.NRW.
Child care in special cases
The state youth welfare offices also support low-threshold care for children from refugee families with funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For example, parent-child groups, playgroups, day care services, mobile services and also services offered in cooperation with local family centers are funded.
Where can we find help and advice?
If you have questions about the amount and calculation of parental contributions for daycare services, please contact the responsible youth welfare office on site. The Youth Welfare Office also decides whether and to what extent you can claim assistance even before the two contribution-free Kita years.
All application forms for financial assistance can be found on this page of the Familienportal.NRW
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