Overview
- Germany’s legal entitlement to full-day primary care starts in August 2026 for first graders and extends to all grades by 2029, covering eight hours on five weekdays with up to four weeks of closure during holidays.
- Landkreis Kassel presented a 48-page implementation concept for its 49 primary schools, with each school choosing Ganztagsprofile 1–3 or the Pakt für den Ganztag, and the paper was put to the Kreistag for a vote.
- The Kassel plan proposes parent contributions after 14:30 of €25 per month for one hour or €50 for two hours, with holiday care also chargeable, while coalition parties backed the concept in committee and CDU/AfD abstained citing missing cost transparency.
- The Hessischer Städtetag urged the Land to provide more funding and personnel under the Konnexitätsprinzip and warned of substantial investment and operating costs, signaling it could seek legal clarification if burdens shift to municipalities.
- Education Minister Armin Schwarz maintains the expansion is on schedule with 11,000–13,000 new places created annually, as capacity strains surface locally such as Visselhövede’s plan to bridge delays with classroom containers under tight and unsettled funding deadlines.