Every child in North Rhine-Westphalia has a legal right to a childcare place in a daycare facility or in daycare from the age of one to the age of three, and a right to a childcare place in a daycare facility from the age of three.
Your local youth welfare office is responsible for ensuring this entitlement. The placement of a childcare place in a daycare center or childcare therefore takes place in cooperation with the responsible for you the youth welfare office.

The registration or admission process varies depending on which municipality or city you live in. Notify the Youth Welfare Office in writing or electronically of your child's desired care needs, the desired amount of care and the type of care no later than six months before the desired care begins.

All children from the completed first year of life have a right to early childhood support in a daycare center or with a childminder or a childminder - (§ 24 paragraph 2 in the Eighth Social Code (SGB VIII)).

As a rule, the child's last two years of care before entering school are non-contributory in North Rhine-Westphalia.

A childcare place can be perceived regardless of your residence in another municipality, but this without legal claim.

The application for a childcare place is independent of the age of the child.

Please first contact the youth welfare office responsible for you and report your need for care (informal notice of need).

In the further registration process, the submission of further documents may be required by the local youth welfare office and/or the daycare facility or daycare center (e.g. income certificates or the child's preventive care booklet).

• Your child is at least 1 year old, then it has a legal claim
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• You have indicated your need to the Youth Welfare Office if possible six months in advance
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Parental contributions vary. They are set by the local providers of public youth welfare, i.e. the youth welfare offices or the municipalities. The contributions are to be graduated. As criteria for the graduation can be considered in particular the income, the number of children of the parents and the daily care time.

The last two years of kindergarten before starting school are generally exempt from contributions, § 50 paragraph 1 KiBiz, depending on local statutes, parents may also be exempt from contributions beyond that.

Depending on the timing of the notice of need

Please note the registration dates of the respective daycare center.
As a rule, the use of a day care center requires that you notify the responsible youth welfare office of your need in writing at least six months before using the place.
The youth welfare offices must confirm receipt of the notification of need to the parents after one month at the latest and at the same time inform them of the local cost contributions in accordance with Section 90 of Book Eight of the Social Code.