Child care

Child care is to be understood as umbrella term for the nurturing, supervising activity adult towards children. Child is under German law usually every young person who has not attained the age of 14 years ( § 7 section 1 SGB VIII). Child care is first and mostly in the family, in the past and in richer families by nannies.

Today, besides taking care of the family, by grandparents or childminders the form of publicly or privately organized child day care in day care centers, nurseries and day care prevalent. Is in Austria and Switzerland this also the term " child care " or " outside the family day care " are used. Also there are a few "foreign supervised " the term that is frequently used in a negative context. Securing the day-care centers as protection zones where children can move freely from serious threats. Securing the supply of bodily needs such as food, drink, and sleep and rest. Care is a prerequisite for education.

Controversies

The controversy for public childcare is led politically, ideologically and professionally. The settings for the care of children vary considerably from state to state. A außerfamiliale early childhood education is considered, for example in Spain, mainly as a learning and development opportunity for children.

While in kindergarten from the age of 3 is generally accepted in Germany, there are the pros and cons of care for young children in nurseries and day care centers for children under 3 years of disagreement. Critics of nurseries and day care centers, such as the family network, argue that usually the parents, to which a very long and trustful relationship could be established, the emotional, intellectual and social development of the child can best be promoted.

Childcare costs

The cost of using a child care facility are very uneven. They are subject to the makers of the device, or the fees statutes of the respective municipality. There are income-related child care costs and so-called "social" staggered childcare costs. The latter are based primarily on taxable income of the parents. The fees statutes vary in the number of income groups, the graduated income scale, the hours of care, as well as the additional services ( early and late service, food allowance ) or discounts ( siblings ). Regard to the configuration of these fees statutes there are no standards, which makes a comparison approach is difficult. A regular nationwide comparative analysis is INSM Kindergarten monitor that for a large number of cities converts each year, the comparative figures for the four model cases and comparison group. Child care costs are tax deductible in many parts.