School registration process in Berlin

General information

Children in Germany must by law attend primary school from August / September of the year in which they turn 6. They must first be registered at their local primary school; when you are registering your child you can at the same time inform the school in writing that you will be transferring your child to Berlin Kids International School. You must give a reason for this – in our case, a need for bilingual education is the obvious reason.

Children starting school in 2011

All children born between January 1 and December 31 2005 must by law attend school from September 2011. Parents of children born between January 1 and March 31 2006 may apply for their child to start school in September 2011 (known as a “Kannkind”).

Step One: Registration with the local primary school

The first step for all parents is to register their child with the local primary school. This is usually the nearest primary school to your permanent address in Berlin. This registration takes place in November, and must be completed by law.

If you are unsure where your local primary school is, you can find out this information at your local Schulamt, or by clicking on the following link:

http://www.berlin.de/sen/bwf/meine_fragen/wo_finde_ich/schule_kita/anwen...

When registering your child, you will need the following documents:

  • Your own passport
  • Registration documents (“Anmeldung”)
  • Residence permit
  • Your child’s birth certificate
  • If your child has been attending a Kita in Berlin, you will also have documentation about language ability (“Sprachstandüberprüfung”)

Step Two: transferring your child to Berlin Kids International School

Please hand in a written letter to the local primary school stating that your child has a place at Berlin Kids international School. You must give the reasons for this transferal (the need for bilingual education). Please note that you are required by German law to register your child at his or her local primary school even if you have no intention of sending him/her there!

Step Three: General Language Assessment

If your child has NOT attended a Kita in Berlin, you will also have to get documentation from the local primary school about his/her language ability (“Sprachstandüberprüfung”).

Step Four: Medical Examination

Children starting school must undergo a medical examination by the child health authorities (“Kinder- und Jugendgesundheitsdienst”). You’ll be given an appointment by the local primary school after registration.

Step Five: Language Assessment at Berlin Kids International School

In the year before your child begins school, he or she must attend an interview at Berlin Kids in order to establish his/her language abilities. All children who wish to attend the school must have at least a passive understanding of English and German.

Step Six: Signing the binding contracts for a place at Berlin Kids International School

If a child is offered a place at Berlin Kids International School, parents are required to sign two contracts with Pfefferwerk Stadtkultur gGmbH: the school contract and a contract for after-school daycare (see below).

Information for parents who are not yet resident in Berlin

You will not be able to register your child with a local primary school until you have officially registered your permanent Berlin address at the local Bezirksamt.
Once you have completed your registration (“Anmeldung”), you can then go to the local primary school and follow the procedure described above. If your child is already attending a primary school abroad, please take details of his/her schooling to date to the local school.
You may register your interest in Berlin Kids International School at any time before you move to Berlin. We’ll also be happy to help you with the bureaucratic process.

When does school start?

All children who are starting school in 2011 will be invited to a First Day of School Party ("Einschulung") at Berlin Kids International.

Contracts

Berlin Kids International School provides all-day care; the official school day runs from 8.30am until 4pm; after that, an after-school club provides childcare until 6pm.

In order to register your child at Berlin Kids International School you have to sign 2 contracts with Pfefferwerk gGmbh, the body that runs the school. These are:

  • the school contract
  • the day-care contract (“ergänzende Betreuung an einer Grundschule”)

The school contract will be signed once your child has passed the language assessment interview and been offered a place.
Before signing the day-care contract, parents must obtain the relevant documents from the Jugendamt (“Betreuungsbedarfsbescheid” and “Kostenfestsetzung”).

Costs

School fees for families with an annual net income of less than €40,000:
€165 per child per month
School fees for families with an annual net income of more than €40,000:
€185 per child per month

The amount charged will be determined on the basis of the annual parental income as established by the Jugendamt (“Kostenfestsetzung”).
Parents on a low income (“Hartz IV”) may apply to Berlin Kids Association in writing for a reduction in costs (€87.50).
Parents may also apply to Berlin Kids Association in writing for a rebate for siblings (€100).

In addition to school fees, parents must pay:
A building loan repayment fee of €20 per child per month
In addition, parents must pay the Bezirksamt the fee for after-school care (Hort 4, 13.30-18h). This rate is income-related and set by (and payable to) the local authorities.

Applying for after-school day-care

Apply at your local Jugendamt for after-school care (“ergänzende Tagesbetreuung”; 13.30-18h) as soon as possible. The form can be downloaded from our website. The Bezirksamt processes your application in the same way as the Kita application and determines how many hours of after-school care you are entitled to. Berlin Kids International requires parents to acquire daycare from 1.30-6pm. The costs are set by the Bezirksamt according to income (you will also have to show the Bezirksamt details of your job and income).
You can send in your application by post or in person.

Prenzlauer Berg / Pankow / Weissensee
Bezirksamt Pankow von Berlin
Jugendamt
Kitagutscheinstelle
Fröbelstrasse 17, Haus 5
10405 Berlin
Tram: Fröbelstrasse

Mitte (Zentrum, Tiergarten, Gesundbrunnen, Wedding)
Kita-Gutscheinstelle
Jugendamt Mitte
Karl-Marx-Allee 31
10178 Berlin
Tel. (Telefonzentrale) 2009 111
U-Bahnhof Schillingstr

Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Tagesbetreuung
Jugendamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Frankfurter Allee 35-37
10247 Berlin
Tel. (Telefonzentrale) 90 298-0
U-Bahnhof Samariterstr