After their first birthday, children in Rhineland-Palatinate are entitled to a place in a crèche or day-care centre. Parents must pay an income-related parental contribution for the childcare place. From the second birthday, children are entitled to a free childcare place.
The municipal offer is currently divided into the following 3 forms of care:
Crèche (for children from a few weeks to 2 years of age).
Kindergarten (for children from 2 years old until they start school)
Hort (from 6 years, primary school children)
Applications for a facility in the city of Mainz are processed centrally by the Amt für Jugend und Familie, Abteilung Kindertagesstätten (Office for Youth and Family, Department of Child Day Care Facilities). Applications are only possible from birth, not during pregnancy.
Privately run day care centres are usually organised as associations. This means that you can apply for admission of your child directly to the respective association and then pay an association fee for as long as your child attends the facility.
You can search for and find more day care centres in Rhineland-Palatinate via the Kita-Server Rheinland-Pfalz.