The private nursery market - Germany

1.1 Scope of the study

Child day care comprises the professional care and education of children of pre-school age outside the family environment. This includes various forms of care such as daycare centers, kindergartens, crèches, daycare facilities and after-school care. The aim of daycare is to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment in which they can develop their social, emotional, cognitive and motor skills. The childcare staff support the children's individual development, promote their social interaction and offer structured learning activities. Daycare supports parents in balancing work and family life and provides children with early educational experiences. It promotes social and emotional development and improves equal opportunities for children from different backgrounds.

As of March 1, 2022, 35.5% of children under the age of three in Germany were in daycare. This represents an increase compared to the previous year, when the childcare rate was 34.4%. The total number of children under the age of three in daycare rose by around 28,800 to a total of 838,700 children, which corresponds to an increase of 3.6% compared to the previous year. This increase continues the trend of rising childcare rates, which was interrupted in 2021.

There was an increase of 3.2% in the number of staff in daycare facilities compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the number of childminders fell by 2.7%[Destatis].