Legal entitlement to all-day care

Rechtsanspruch auf Ganztagsbetreuung ab 2026

From the 2026/27 school year, all children starting school will have a statutory entitlement to all-day childcare. This entitlement will be extended by one grade level each year - until 2029, it will apply to all primary school children in grades 1 to 4.

The claim includes:

  • Supervision five working days a week

  • at least eight hours a day, including teaching time

  • Childcare also during the vacations, with up to four weeks closed per year

Why is this important?

The all-day program offers more than just supervision:

  • Better compatibility of family and career

  • More time for individual support

  • greater educational equality

  • Social participation and development

All-day programs combine learning at school with leisure, sport, culture and social interaction. They provide holistic support for children - especially those who receive less support at home.

Implementation in NRW

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the legal entitlement is implemented on the basis of the All-Day Support Act (GaFöG). Responsibility lies with the public youth welfare organizations, in close cooperation with the school authorities.
The aim is to provide a reliable, flexible and high-quality all-day offer - with room for local design by the municipalities.

Implementation in Bochum

The city of Bochum is actively preparing for the legal entitlement. The offer is being gradually expanded - many Grundschulen already offer open all-day programs (OGS) that combine school learning with leisure activities. Information on places, times and content is available from the schools or the city.

What Bochum is actually doing:

  • Cooperation with independent welfare organizations to safeguard existing services

  • Investments of 3.7 million euros to support the sponsors until 2026

  • Planning new rooms and staff positions to meet increasing demand

  • Quality development through further training and cooperation with sport, culture and youth welfare services

Bochum relies on an integrated understanding of education: schools and extracurricular partners work closely together to offer children a diverse and reliable all-day program.

Good to know

Participation in all-day care remains voluntary, but is compulsory for one school year. The services should be reliable, child-friendly and inclusive. Greater involvement of parents and children is planned - for example via committees or feedback formats.