Overview
- The legal right to eight hours of daily full‑day care for first graders took effect on 1 August and will expand one grade per year until all primary grades are covered in 2029/30.
- Schleswig‑Holstein told school districts it will decide on all eligible ganztag investment applications by the end of the year and said it will fund projects designated for full‑day care, with 635 applications filed and roughly €716 million set aside.
- States and the federal government pledge large shares of investment and operating costs in some places, but many towns must make up the remainder through municipal funds, new debt or local levies, leaving budgets strained.
- Local responses vary sharply: Pirmasens is borrowing and refitting kitchens to meet demand, Landkreis Kassel is offering full coverage while warning of rising meal‑staff costs, and the small town of Haag has set steep parental fees of €250 per week.
- Parents should not assume immediate availability because shortages of space, staff and procurement delays mean waiting lists and fees are likely; watch municipal deadlines and the Schleswig‑Holstein year‑end funding decisions for how places will expand.