Berlin is a city that deeply values children’s education as a fundamental right. Since August 2018, daycare for children over one year old has been made completely free of charge under the Berlin Senate’s “Kostenfreie Kita” policy ([Reference 1]). This commitment ensures that financial circumstances do not limit access to early education.
Berlin also implements the “Berliner Bildungsprogramm” ([Reference 2]), a comprehensive curriculum guideline that emphasizes not only language acquisition but also personal development, creativity, and social skills. Recognizing the city’s cultural diversity, many Kitas offer bilingual programs, particularly German-English and German-Turkish.
In addition, the “Kita-Sozialarbeit” initiative ([Reference 3]) places trained social workers within kindergartens to support families facing social challenges.
The approach to early childhood education in Berlin is holistic: children are nurtured not only academically but socially and emotionally. They are encouraged to explore, to express themselves freely, and to develop a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
As a kindergarten manager, I find Berlin’s model inspiring—a society-wide commitment to supporting every child’s growth, regardless of background, is a principle we should all strive to embody.

References:

• [1] Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family: “Kostenfreie Kita” Initiative (2018)

• [2] Berliner Bildungsprogramm für Kitas und Kindertagespflege (2021 Edition)

• [3] Kita-Sozialarbeit Berlin Project Overview