Yes. Publicly funded childcare places in the Aachen city area are allocated exclusively through the daycare portal. If internet access is restricted, you can contact the facility directly, which can assist you in submitting an online childcare request to a facility via the Aachen daycare portal.

No. Searching for and viewing the respective childcare options is also available to non-registered users. However, you must register to submit a childcare request.

1. First, select the "Register" tab (top right) on the home page of the Aachen daycare portal.
2. Then, please fill out all fields in the following form. Click the "i" symbol for an explanation of each field.
3. After entering your personal information, please enter the character string displayed under "Security Check."
4. Finally, you must agree to the terms of use and the privacy policy. Then select "Register."
5. You will then receive an automatic email to the email address you entered. Please activate your account by clicking the link in the automated email. Please create only one account per family. You can also manage multiple children in this account.

No. It is not mandatory for your child to attend a daycare facility. However, attending a daycare facility promotes your child's development and prepares them for starting elementary school.

Daycare centers can accommodate children from 0 to 6 years old. A few daycare centers offer groups only for children over or under 3 years old. Child day care is also available for children under 3 years old. Please note, however, that your child generally only has a legal right to a daycare place once they are at least one year old.

For children under 3 years of age, day care is an equivalent alternative to daycare with a family-friendly atmosphere. Due to the smaller number of children to be cared for (compared to a daycare center), each child can receive special attention. Requests can also be submitted via the daycare portal, but registration for an information session is mandatory, and your request can only be processed by the Association for Family Day Care after you have attended an information session.

On the following page, you can find out more about the association and register for an information session, parallel to your request via the daycare portal: https://www.familiaere-tagesbetreuung-aachen.de/

With a childcare request, you can inform a daycare center that you would like your child cared for at that facility. The childcare request is non-binding, which is why you can submit multiple requests at once and subsequently cancel or change the request.

To submit a childcare request, you must first register and then submit a request to the desired facility. To finally submit a request, you must complete all required fields (marked with an asterisk "*").

You can submit up to five active requests for the same start date. Once you receive a rejection, you can submit a new request at another facility for the same start date or at the same facility for a different start date.

Requests should generally be submitted at least six months before the desired start date. You have the best chance of securing a spot on August 1st of each year, as this is when the daycare year begins. A daycare request for August 1st should be submitted by January 31st of the same year.

You can cancel a daycare request using the red x symbol. In this case, you will need to provide details of the reason via a menu selection. Once a reservation has been confirmed or a contract has been created, all open daycare requests for the same start date will be automatically blocked, as the child is then considered to be cared for. You do not need to make any changes here. If you would like a different start date, please change it using the pencil symbol.

If one of your children is already being cared for at the facility, you have the option of indicating this in the daycare request. However, the City of Aachen cannot guarantee that siblings can be cared for at the same facility.

Providing the first and last name of the unborn child is necessary so that the system can process the childcare request. Incomplete information cannot be submitted or processed. For this reason, provisional or "placeholder" information can also be provided for unborn children, as changes to the care request or the information can also be made subsequently within the facility.

In case the facility needs clarification regarding your care request, it is important that a telephone number is provided for direct personal clarification.

This information is not required and does not need to be completed. The priority information in the care request refers to the selected facility. For example, if you register with more than one facility, the priority determines the order of your favorites. Specifying priority "1" for a request to a specific facility means that this facility is your absolute favorite. All subsequent requests (then with priorities 2 or higher, or no information) mean that these facilities are less suitable for you. Your priorities are visible to the facilities. Please note, however, that these cannot always be accommodated due to limited space.

If joint custody exists for a child, both legal guardians must be listed. If you have sole custody, no additional contracting partners need to be listed.

If your child has a disability or special needs, select "Yes" in the care request when asked whether your child requires special educational support and whether a corresponding certificate of diagnosis has already been obtained. This is certified by a responsible specialist, a social services or health department, or a special education center. These include, for example, physical, mental, and/or intellectual impairments, as well as developmental delays, ADHD, and speech disorders. If no corresponding diagnosis or other written confirmation is available, please use the "Further information for the facility" field. In principle, any child can be cared for in any facility. Some facilities also offer special groups or additional services for children with severe or multiple disabilities.

Create childcare requests for your preferred facilities via the daycare portal and mark the request as a change request in the fourth step (see question "How does the daycare placement process work?", illustration on page 2). Please also enter "Yes" when asked whether your child has been cared for in the past and fill out the following fields with the information about the current daycare provider.

Since daycare centers have fixed hours and opening hours, there is no such flexibility in this regard. You can still ask the daycare center of your choice whether they offer off-peak childcare. If your child is under three years old, family-run daycare could be an alternative, as they can offer more flexible hours.

Depending on the status of your request, you can use the pencil icon (right) to change the residential address and other master data of your child and the contracting partners. If the pencil icon is no longer visible in the status request because your request is already set to "active," you can send an email to kita-portal@mail.aachen.de and request that the data be changed. You cannot make any changes to the system yourself at this time.

You can register and log in to the KiTa portal before you move. Please provide your current residential address. After you move, you have the option to change your address details. Please note the admission criteria of the respective facilities. An Aachen address where you (and your child) currently reside or will be residing in the foreseeable future must be available by the time the contract is concluded. You can provide proof of this with your ID card, a landlord's certificate, or a similar document. You will be asked for this proof when signing the contract at the daycare center.

In principle, parents of children who don't live in Aachen can register on the daycare portal and submit requests. However, please note that if a facility in the city of Aachen wants to accept your child, it must submit an application for the admission of a child from outside the city. The application will be reviewed by the city's Department of Daycare and Daycare. Pedagogical aspects play a role, as does the question of whether a place should be given priority to a child living in Aachen. The head of the Department of Daycare and Daycare makes the final decision on admission.

Your request will be sent to the facility you have chosen. In the next step, the facility will process the request. The facility can actively accept your request (status "active" in the daycare overview) and add you to the reservation/waiting list. This is non-binding and does not guarantee a specific daycare spot. The request can also be rejected directly (status "rejected") if it is already foreseeable that there will be no capacity available for the requested start date. In both cases, you will receive an automatic email via the system outlining the next steps. Please read this message carefully, as the further process may vary depending on the facility.

A request is a non-binding childcare request that serves to plan the expected space requirements at the facility. There is no legal entitlement to the pre-registered place vis-à-vis the provider or the facility.

You must present yourself in person at the respective facility before a place is allocated. The introductory appointment is coordinated by the facility itself. You will receive information about this directly from the facility by phone or email. Place reservations for the start of the daycare year (August 1) are always only issued by the facilities from February 1 of the same year. During this appointment, your information will be verified in the system, and places can be allocated and contracts drawn up. Admission during the year is only possible in exceptional cases, for example, if a family moves or the contract is terminated prematurely for other reasons. Places are allocated decentrally and by the respective facility itself. The City of Aachen, as the operator of the portal, has no influence on the allocation of places. If you have any questions, please contact the respective facility or the responsible provider directly.

A personal introduction is required for security reasons to verify your identity. Only after you have introduced yourself in person, thus ruling out a "fake or prank request," can your care request be considered for placements. In addition, families moving to Aachen must present proof of their Aachen residence during the personal interview, but no later than when signing the contract.

You are considered "introduced" if you have identified yourself in person at the respective facility and provided a document confirming your identity and place of residence.

To contact a specific institution, use the institution's contact information in the respective portal profiles. If the relevant profiles do not contain the information you require, please contact the respective provider.

A provider is a natural or legal entity (e.g., a registered association, a non-profit limited liability company) that operates one or more facilities and is responsible for the overall personnel, financial, and organizational aspects of daycare operations.

AnsThe different group types represent the respective age structure within the group. A total of three group types are distinguished:

Group Type I: Children aged two up to school age (24 to 72 months). There is a subdivision into U3 (24 to 36 months) and Ü3 (36 to 72 months).
• Ia: 25 hours
• Ib: 35 hours
• Ic: 45 hours

Group type II: Children under three years of age (0 to 36 months)
• IIa: 25 hours
• IIb: 35 hours
• IIc: 45 hours

Group type III: Children aged three and older (36 to 72 months)
• IIIa: 25 hours
• IIIb: 35 hours
• IIIc: 45 hours

Depending on the current availability of the daycare center, you can choose a weekly care time of 25, 35, or 45 hours. Childcare can be arranged individually according to your needs.

AnsYou generally have to pay monthly parental fees for your child's daycare. Fees vary depending on the child's age, the parents' income, the scope of care, and the family situation. If you have a low income, you may be exempt from fees, meaning you won't incur any fees. Parental contributions do not include meal costs, so these must be paid additionally—even if parents are exempt from contributions. Support is available, for example, through education and participation benefits. For further information, please visit the following website: https://serviceportal.aachen.de/suche/-/vr-bis-detail/einrichtung/44948/show