Municipal Child Care Center; Payment of User Fees / Parent Contributions

Municipalities may charge user fees for the use of their public facilities. Nonprofit or other operators of child care facilities may set parental contributions.

The amount of user fees at municipal child care facilities (parent contributions) varies in Bavaria. The fees may, for example, be tiered based on social factors. Some municipalities offer sibling discounts or adjust parent contributions based on income. The amount may also depend on the child’s age; it is based on the length of time the child is enrolled.

To ease the financial burden on families, the Free State of Bavaria provides a subsidy toward the parental fee for children in state-funded daycare facilities (as defined by the Bavarian Child Education and Care Act [BayKiBiG]). The subsidy is granted for the period from September 1 of the calendar year in which the child turns three until the child starts school. The subsidy amounts to €100 per month. Payments are made to the municipalities as part of child-related funding, and the municipalities then pass the parental fee subsidy on to the facility operators. The municipalities and facility operators are required to reduce their fees by the amount of the parental fee subsidy.

Note: Low-income families can apply for a fee reduction or exemption at the relevant youth welfare office.

For families in need (those receiving SGB II or SGB XII benefits, or recipients of the child supplement and housing allowance), the additional costs for lunch at schools and daycare centers are covered as part of educational and participation benefits.

You can obtain more detailed information about kindergarten fees in your municipality—if available—by using the “Location” feature (enter your city and/or ZIP code).