From August 2026, all-day primary care becomes a legal right — starting with Year 1.
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If you've spent your first year in Germany discovering that the school day can end at lunchtime — while your workday very much does not — this is the change you've been waiting for.
From the 2026/27 school year (August 2026), Germany's Ganztagsförderungsgesetz (All-Day Support Act) gives every child a legal right (Rechtsanspruch) to all-day care at primary school. Not a nice-to-have, not "if there's space" — an entitlement the municipality is obligated to fulfil. Here's how it actually works, and how to make sure your family gets a place instead of a spot on a waitlist.
What's changing — the national picture
The right phases in one grade at a time:
2026/27: every child in Year 1 (Klasse 1) has the right.
Each following year: the next grade is added.
2029/30 onward: all children in Years 1–4 are covered.
The guarantee is up to eight hours a day, across all five school days — with regular class time counted inside that total. In practice that means your child can be looked after, fed, helped with homework, and kept busy with sport and clubs from morning drop-off until late afternoon, at school.
Two things to hold onto. First, it's a right, which means if your municipality can't offer a place, that's their legal problem to solve, not yours — you can insist, and ultimately enforce it. Second, states and local authorities run the details, so the exact hours, fees, and application process depend on where you live. Below is how it looks in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) — the most populous state, and a good template for the rest.
NRW specifics: the OGS, hours, holidays, and fees
In NRW the all-day system runs mostly through the Offene Ganztagsschule (OGS, "open all-day school"). Under the NRW decree taking effect 1 August 2026:
Eight hours of care per school day, available until 4 p.m. at the latest (from an 8 a.m. start), instruction time included. If your family needs care beyond those eight hours, the municipality has to offer something matching that need.
Year-round cover, including school holidays. An individual OGS may close during a break — but only if the municipality provides an alternative somewhere else. So holiday care is part of the guarantee, not an extra you're left to solve alone.
You register before the school year starts, through the school's existing OGS process, and the booking is binding for the full academic year. Mid-year sign-up is possible only at the municipality's discretion.
It isn't free. Municipalities may charge income-based parental contributions (under the KiBiz funding law), plus separate charges for meals and holiday programs. A lower income means a lower — sometimes zero — contribution, so ask your town for its fee table (Elternbeitragstabelle).
How to apply — the practical steps
The all-day place is tied to your child's school place, so the two happen together.
In NRW, the OGS covers up to eight hours a day, holidays included.
Register your child for primary school (Schulanmeldung) on time. In NRW this happens in the autumn before your child starts — usually around October–November of the prior year. Your city sends a letter, or you contact your catchment Grundschule directly.
Sign up for the OGS at the same time. There's a separate OGS registration form alongside the school enrolment. Tick it, submit it, and keep a copy. This is the step tired parents forget — don't.
State your care hours honestly. If you need pickup after 4 p.m. or full holiday cover, say so in writing. The municipality's duty is measured against the need you actually declare.
Get the fee assessment. Submit income proof for the Elternbeitrag calculation, and budget separately for lunch and holiday weeks.
Get everything in writing. A confirmed OGS place (Betreuungszusage) is your proof. If you're offered "we'll let you know," ask for the decision in writing and a date.
Waitlist strategies that actually work
Demand outstrips built capacity in many cities, so the transition years (2026–2029) will be tight. What helps:
Apply as early as the window opens — at Schulanmeldung, not after. Places are allocated before the summer.
Lean on the word "Rechtsanspruch." For Year 1 from 2026, a place is a legal entitlement. If you're refused, ask the Schulträger (the municipality that runs the school) in writing how they intend to fulfil your legal right. That sentence alone moves families off waitlists.
Name your fallback in the same breath. Municipalities can meet the right through other providers — a Hort (after-school centre), youth-services care, or a partner association. Ask what alternative they'll offer if the OGS is full; the duty is to provide care, not one specific room.
Escalate calmly if needed. If the town still offers nothing, the entitlement is enforceable — a written objection (Widerspruch), and if necessary legal advice, is a real lever. It rarely gets that far once they know you know your rights.
Keep a paper trail. Dates, names, copies. The parent with a folder gets taken more seriously than the parent with a phone call.
School options for expat families
The all-day right applies to state primary schools, which is where most expat kids go — and, honestly, where they integrate fastest. But you have a spectrum:
State Grundschule (free). German-language, your catchment school, OGS attached. Best for integration and language; your child will be fluent faster than you expect. This is where the new right lands most directly.
Bilingual and Europaschule state schools (free). Public schools with an English (or other-language) immersion track. Free and excellent, but competitive and not in every town — apply early and have a backup.
International / private schools (tuition). English-medium or IB curricula, often with their own after-school care built in, so the OGS question is moot. Expect roughly €10,000–€25,000+ per year, plus waitlists of their own, especially in Berlin, Munich, and the big NRW cities. Good if you're here short-term or want continuity with a home-country system.
Montessori, Waldorf, and faith-based schools. A middle path — some public-funded, some fee-paying — each with its own care setup. Check the all-day arrangement per school; don't assume.
A practical rule: if you're staying more than a couple of years, the free state school plus OGS usually wins on integration, cost, and language — and it's exactly the option the 2026 law just strengthened.
📌 The Bottom Line
From August 2026, all-day care for a first-grader stops being a lottery and becomes a right you can enforce — up to eight hours a day, five days a week, holidays included, at income-based cost. The families who benefit are the ones who register at Schulanmeldung, declare the hours they truly need, get the confirmation in writing, and — if refused — say the word Rechtsanspruch out loud to the Schulträger. Do that, and the school day finally matches your working day.
Was this useful? Forward it to another parent navigating Germany — it means more than you know. Got a question or a topic for a future issue? Hit reply. I read every email.
Bis bald,
Germany Diary · Study, Work & Live in Germany
Sources: Ganztagsförderungsgesetz (GaFöG); The Local; Familienportal.NRW; NRW Ministry of Schools OGS decree (effective 1 Aug 2026); KiBiz. Germany Diary is written by an immigrant who lives it — not legal advice. Fees and deadlines vary by municipality; confirm with your town and school.