In the following FAQs, we have put together the questions about childcare and the registration procedure often put to us:
Who can
apply for a place in the nurseries and pre-schools of Goethe University
Frankfurt?
The Family
Service of Goethe University Frankfurt handles registrations by staff for the childcare
facilities of Goethe University Frankfurt. The following rule applies: at
least one parent must be employed at the university and registration is
generally only possible for the campus where they work. Postdoctoral
scholarship holders, visiting scholars as well as staff of Frankfurt Student
Services (Studierendenwerk Frankfurt am Main) also count as university staff. A minimum contract period of one year usually applies.
Students apply for a place via the city's portal: www.kindernetfrankfurt.de (in German only).
How do I
register my child at one of the nurseries or pre-schools?
University
staff who would like to register their child(ren) at the university's nurseries
or pre-schools nearby (Campus Kita Nursery and Pre-School on Westend Campus as
well as Kita Zauberberg Nursery and Pre-School and Kita Kairos Nursery and Pre-School
on Riedberg Campus) can find registration forms in German and English in the
column on the right.
Please
complete one form per child on your PC, sign it and send it by email to Gina-Lou
Nitzsche (kita@.uni-frankfurt.de; her contact details can be
found on the right).
When at
the earliest can childcare start?
The minimum
age at the university’s nurseries differs. Kita Kairos Nursery and Pre-School
(Riedberg) takes children from the age of 3 months at the earliest, Zauberberg
Kita Nursery and Pre-School (Riedberg) from 7 months. Campus Kita Nursery and
Pre-School on Westend Campus takes children from 1 year of age.
Only Kita
Kairos Nursery and Pre-School accepts registration before the child is born.
What is
the Nursery and Pre-School Advisory Board (Kitabeirat) of Goethe University
Frankfurt and when does it convene?
Childcare
places for staff’s children are allocated via a Nursery and Pre-School Advisory
Board (Kitabeirat). This comprises representatives from the Staff Council, the Family
Service, the nurseries and pre-schools, and the Vice President responsible.
The advisory
board for Campus Kita Nursery and Pre-School on Westend Campus and
Kita Zauberberg Nursery and Pre-School (Riedberg) meets in
February and June.
The advisory
board for Kita Kairos Nursery and Pre-School on Riedberg Campus meets in
February, June and October.
You can download
the statutes of the Kairos and Zauberberg advisory
board and the Campus Kita advisory board in the column on the right (in German
only, please contact us if you have any questions).
What is
the closing date for registering my child?
You can
submit your registration up until the end of the month before the advisory
board convenes (by email, not by post) the Family Service (kita@uni-frankfurt.de).
Closing dates for Campus Kita Nursery and Pre-School and Kita
Zauberberg Nursery and Pre-School are 31 January and 31 May each year.
Closing dates for Kita Kairos Nursery and Pre-School are 31
January, 31 May and 30 September.
What are
the criteria for the allocation of places?
Places are
awarded according to fixed and transparent criteria which, apart from a few
additions, essentially correspond to those of the City of Frankfurt.
How do I
find out whether my child has been allocated a place?
As soon as
the respective Nursery and Pre-School Advisory Board (Kitabeirat) has decided
to whom places are to be allocated, parents receive official notification of
acceptance/rejection within 14 days after it has convened.
Does confirmation of a childcare place apply
both for when my child is under 3 years of age as well as over 3 years of age?
No. As stipulated
by the Hessian Child Support Act (Hessisches
Kinderförderungsgesetz – KiFöG),
contracts are always concluded until the end of the respective nursery/pre-school
period (under 3/over 3 years of age).
If you have been successful in registering your child for a place for children under 3 years of age and are interested in a subsequent place once he/she reaches the age of 3, we request that you send us a second application (see column on the right), as we cannot always guarantee a subsequent place for all children over 3 years of age. As a rule, children already accommodated by the childcare facility are naturally given priority. However, a new decision on the allocation of places must nevertheless be made.
What
does a nursery/pre-school place at Goethe University Frankfurt cost?
The basic
costs are fixed by the City of Frankfurt. You can find them here:
https://www.kindernetfrankfurt.de/infoportal/kosten (in German only).
There are
additional costs for meals, which are listed here.
What
should we do if we accept a childcare place at another facility?
Unlike the
city’s facilities, the childcare places for children of university staff are
not recorded centrally. This means that we are not notified if you have been
offered a childcare place elsewhere.
In this
case, please make administration easier for us by letting us know when you have
found a childcare place for your child(ren). A short email to Gina-Lou Nitzsche (gi.nitzsche@em.uni-frankfurt.de; see column on the right) is
sufficient.
Is it
wise to register via kindernetfrankfurt as well?
In view of
the limited capacities, we strongly recommend that you also try to find a
childcare place in other ways. Residents of the City of Frankfurt must register
via the kindernetfrankfurt online portal. You can download further information
and the registration form in the column on the right or under: http://www.kindernetfrankfurt.de/ (in German only).
Important:
If you receive
confirmation of a childcare place via the portal, you are initially blocked and
no longer visible for other facilities. It is therefore important that you do
not hesitate too long with acceptances or refusals if you favour a particular
facility.
We are happy to accept registrations for children of employees for the Goethe University childcare facilities and related enquiries via kita@uni-frankfurt.de.
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Gina-Lou Nitzsche
Processmanagement Childcare Applications
Fon: +49 69 798-18698
E-Mail: kita@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Campus Westend, SKW-Building, Room 05.C102
Visiting address
Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.
Equal Opportunities Office
SKW-Building
Rostocker Str. 2
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Postal address
Equal Opportunities Office
Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.
Postbox 227
60629 Frankfurt am Main