All-Day Schooling in Germany Explained: The Legal Entitlement from 2026
How the new German entitlement to all-day education and care for primary-school children works: key dates, who is entitled in which year, Hort versus all-day school, school holidays and who is responsible. Written for international readers, parents and professionals.
Since 1 August 2026, section 24(4) of the German Social Code Book VIII (SGB VIII) gives children who attend first grade in 2026/27 or later a legal entitlement to support in a day-care facility from the start of school until the beginning of fifth grade: eight hours a day on working days. Lessons and the offers of all-day primary schools count towards these hours. Because the entitlement is tied to the year a child starts school, it phases in: first grade in 2026/27, grades 1 to 4 from 2029/30. In school holidays, youth-work offers can also meet it, and state law may allow closure weeks of up to four weeks a year. Taking part is voluntary, and the 16 states regulate the details.
Scope: this guide describes German federal law (SGB VIII) and applies to Germany. How states, school authorities and youth offices put the entitlement into practice differs from state to state. It gives general information and is not legal advice or advice on individual cases, including on residence or social benefits. We state the legal status so that you can see how current each fact is. German-language version: Rechtsanspruch auf Ganztag ab 2026: Hort und OGS.
Contents
- What changes in 2026: the short version
- Key dates from 2021 to 2029
- Who is entitled when: phasing in by school year
- What section 24(4) says, in plain English
- Hort, all-day school, OGS: what is the difference?
- School holidays and closure weeks
- Who decides and who delivers?
- Numbers: how far has the expansion come?
- Practical: five questions to ask locally
- Key German terms
- Frequently asked questions
- Offer from GermanSocialLab
- Further reading
- References
What changes in 2026: the short version
In Germany, “all-day” (Ganztag) means education and care for primary-school children that go beyond the morning lessons. It can take place in a school or in an after-school care centre, a Hort. For years, states and municipalities have been expanding this provision. According to the federal ministry, 74 percent of primary schools already work as all-day schools (BMBFSFJ, 2026). What is new in 2026 is a legal entitlement that parents and children can invoke.
The entitlement sits in section 24(4) of the Social Code Book VIII (SGB VIII), the child and youth welfare code. It entered the law through the All-Day Support Act (Ganztagsförderungsgesetz, GaFöG; our translation) of 2021, and it takes effect in stages (BGBl. 2021 I No. 71, Art. 7). It belongs to the child, it is not a duty to attend, and the states decide most of the practical detail. This guide explains the federal rules and shows where your state, your school and your local youth office come in.
Key dates from 2021 to 2029
The entitlement is not a new law of this year. The GaFöG is dated 2 October 2021 and was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 11 October 2021 (BGBl. 2021 I No. 71, p. 4602). Its rules take effect at different times: paragraph 4 on 1 August 2026, and a later version of paragraph 4 on 1 August 2029 (Art. 7(4) and (5) GaFöG). Shortly before the start, one addition followed: the act of 29 March 2026 inserts a sentence on school holidays into § 24(4) and also takes effect on 1 August 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I No. 85, Art. 1 and 3). Figure 1 shows the dates.
- What: Seven cards in time order, each with a date, an event and the source.
- Context: Blue tags mark dates from the laws; yellow tags mark ministry information and our own reading. The law does not name the intermediate years 2027/28 and 2028/29; they follow from the tie to the school-starter cohort.
- In practice: Note the dates in your family or team calendar: school year 2026/27, holiday planning, August 2029.
Chart as text
- 2 October 2021: GaFöG signed (ausgefertigt), published on 11 October 2021 (BGBl. 2021 I No. 71, p. 4602); it inserts § 24(4) into the SGB VIII
- December 2025: third report of the federal government on the state of expansion (BMBFSFJ)
- 1 April 2026: act on youth-work provision in all-day care during school holidays is published (BGBl. 2026 I No. 85)
- 1 August 2026: entitlement for children attending first grade in 2026/27; new holiday sentence takes effect
- December 2026: fourth expansion report, expected according to the ministry
- 2027/28 and 2028/29: further school-starter cohorts are added (our reading of § 24(4) sentence 1)
- 1 August 2029: Art. 2 GaFöG takes effect; the entitlement covers grades 1 to 4
Who is entitled when: phasing in by school year
The wording ties the entitlement to the school year in which a child attends first grade: 2026/27 “or in the following school years” (§ 24(4) sentence 1). That cohort moves up one grade each year and keeps its entitlement until the start of fifth grade. This is why the entitlement grows from year to year. The federal ministry describes the same path. On 1 August 2026 the entitlement applies to first grade; it is then extended step by step to grades two to four, so that from the 2029/30 school year it covers all pupils in grades one to four (BMBFSFJ, 2026). The intermediate years in Figure 2 are our reading of the wording.
- What: A table: four school years in the rows, grades 1 to 4 in the columns. A field marked “Yes” means an entitlement.
- Context: The entitlement follows the cohort that starts first grade in 2026/27 or later. That cohort moves up one grade each year and new cohorts are added. The federal ministry describes the same pattern (BMBFSFJ, 2026). Late enrolment or repeating a year can shift the picture in an individual case.
- In practice: Check which grades at your school or Hort are covered in the current school year.
Chart as text
- 2026/27: entitlement in grade 1
- 2027/28: entitlement in grades 1 and 2
- 2028/29: entitlement in grades 1 to 3
- 2029/30: entitlement in grades 1 to 4
- Children without an entitlement under § 24(4): needs-based offer under § 24(5); from 1 August 2029 for children from the start of fifth grade
A second change arrives in 2029. According to Art. 2 and Art. 7(5) of the GaFöG, sentence 1 of § 24(4) is then reworded without a school-year tie: a child has an entitlement from school entry until the start of fifth grade. Paragraph 5 then concerns children from the start of fifth grade (BGBl. 2021 I No. 71). The consolidated act online shows the version in force from 1 August 2026; the 2029 version is not yet in it.
- The entitlement follows the school-starter cohort, not one date for all grades.
- Older primary-school children have no entitlement under paragraph 4, but a needs-based offer must be kept available (paragraph 5).
What section 24(4) says, in plain English
The paragraph has seven sentences. Its core is an entitlement to support in a day-care facility from school entry until the start of fifth grade, on working days for eight hours a day (sentences 1 and 2). The entitlement counts as met for the time covered by lessons and by the offers of all-day primary schools, including open ones (sentence 3). In our reading, a Hort or an open all-day programme therefore fills mainly the hours around the school day. Anyone who needs more time can get a needs-based offer that follows individual need (sentence 6). Figure 3 summarises the sentences.
- What: Six numbered cards. Each puts one part of the paragraph into plain words and names where it comes from.
- Context: The cards shorten the wording. Only the German text of the law is authoritative. It does not say how states and providers organise the hours in practice.
- In practice: Read paragraph 4 once in the original German (link in the references) and note which sentences your state law touches.
Chart as text
- Sentence 1: entitlement for children attending first grade in 2026/27 or later, from school entry to the start of fifth grade, in a day-care facility
- Sentence 2: eight hours a day on working days
- Sentence 3: lessons and the offers of all-day primary schools, including open ones, count as fulfilment for the time they cover
- Sentence 4: in school holidays also fulfilled by youth work under § 11 from a public or recognised independent provider
- Sentence 5: state law may allow a closure of up to four weeks a year during school holidays
- Sentences 6 and 7: a needs-based offer beyond that; childminding for special needs or as a supplement (§ 24(3) sentence 3)
Hort, all-day school, OGS: what is the difference?
According to the federal government, all-day offers for primary-school children take place mainly in all-day schools or in day-care facilities, the Horte (BMBFSFJ, 2025). A Hort is a day-care facility within the meaning of the SGB VIII; an all-day school is a school offer. The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education, Science and Cultural Affairs (KMK) defines an all-day school as one that offers, on at least three days a week, at least seven hours a day with a lunch. The head teacher is responsible for the offer, and it is linked to lessons. In the open form, pupils take part on request (KMK, 2025, p. 4). Figure 4 sets the two side by side.
- Children spend part of the day or all day there and are supported in groups (§ 22(1))
- Mandate: upbringing, education and care (§ 22(3))
- Legal framework: child and youth welfare law, supplemented by state law
- At least three days a week and at least seven hours a day, with a lunch (KMK definition)
- Run under the responsibility of the head teacher and linked to lessons
- Open form: pupils take part on request
- What: Two cards side by side or stacked: the Hort on one side, the all-day school on the other, each with its features and how it counts.
- Context: Names differ between states (KMK, 2025, p. 4); OGS (Offene Ganztagsschule, open all-day school) is one label you will meet. Schools and Horte can also work with further partners (BMBFSFJ, 2025).
- In practice: Find out what your state and your school call each form and who covers which hours.
Chart as text
- Hort: after-school care centre, a day-care facility under the SGB VIII; children spend part of the day or all day there and are supported in groups (§ 22(1)); mandate of upbringing, education and care (§ 22(3)); counts as support in a day-care facility
- All-day school: offer run by the school in open, partly bound or fully bound form; according to the KMK definition at least three days a week, at least seven hours a day, with lunch, under the head teacher and linked to lessons; open form: participation on request; counts as fulfilment for the time of lessons and the offer (sentence 3)
For families new to the system, the labels can confuse. The names for all-day school forms differ between states (KMK, 2025, p. 4), and OGS is only one of the labels you will meet. Schools and Horte can also work with further partners (BMBFSFJ, 2025). So ask what the offer in your area is called, who runs it and which hours each partner covers.
School holidays and closure weeks
Paragraph 4 has two rules for school holidays. Since 1 August 2026 the entitlement also counts as met if a public or a recognised independent child and youth welfare provider makes youth-work offers under § 11 SGB VIII available (sentence 4). In addition, state law can allow a facility to close for up to four weeks a year during school holidays (sentence 5). Without a state rule, the federal act itself sets no closure period. For providers and schools this means more coordination with youth-work organisations (Figure 5).
- Count as fulfilment if a public or a recognised independent child and youth welfare provider makes them available
- Legal basis for the offers: § 11 SGB VIII
- Among the focus areas of youth work is recreation for children and young people (§ 11(3) no. 5)
- Up to four weeks a year during school holidays
- Only if state law provides for it; the federal act sets no closure period itself
- Different in each state: check your state
- What: Two cards: youth-work offers on one side, possible closure weeks on the other.
- Context: Sentence 4 names only two conditions: the kind of offer and the provider. Any further requirements for the offers come from other provisions and from state law.
- In practice: Ask the provider and the local youth office which holiday offers your facility may use and what closure period your state allows.
Chart as text
- Youth-work offers (§ 24(4) sentence 4): count as fulfilment in school holidays if a public or recognised independent child and youth welfare provider makes them available; basis § 11 SGB VIII; recreation for children and young people is one focus area (§ 11(3) no. 5)
- Closure weeks (§ 24(4) sentence 5): up to four weeks a year during school holidays, only if state law provides for it; the federal act sets no closure period itself
- In the holidays, youth-work offers can also count towards the entitlement.
- A closure period needs a state rule: check what your state provides.
Who decides and who delivers?
The federal act sets the framework. For support in day-care facilities such as the Hort, state law regulates the details of content and extent (§ 26 sentence 1), and further-reaching state law remains unaffected (§ 24(7)); all-day schools are governed by state school law. The public child and youth welfare agencies carry overall responsibility, including responsibility for planning (§ 79(1)); the local agency is competent unless the supra-local agency is (§ 85(1)). Each local agency sets up a youth office (Jugendamt) (§ 69(3)). Who the public agencies are is determined by state law (§ 69(1)).
Parents have a right to information: the public agencies or bodies they appoint must inform parents about the places available in their area and the educational concept of the facilities, and advise on the choice (§ 24(6) sentence 1). State law may require parents to give notice within a set period before they start using the service (§ 24(6) sentence 2). Because the states fill in so much, the practice can differ considerably from state to state (Figure 6).
- What: Four numbered cards from top to bottom: federal level, state, local youth welfare, facility and school.
- Context: The first three levels are written into the law. The fourth describes practice: how school, Hort and provider work together is for them or for state law to settle.
- In practice: Look up the rules of your own state and note which office handles applications and information locally.
Chart as text
- 1 Federal level: entitlement, extent, what counts and holiday rule (§ 24(4) SGB VIII)
- 2 Federal state: details regulated by state law (§ 26 sentence 1); closure weeks up to four weeks (§ 24(4) sentence 5); notice period for parents possible (§ 24(6) sentence 2); further-reaching state law remains unaffected (§ 24(7))
- 3 Local youth welfare: overall responsibility including responsibility for planning (§ 79(1)); local agency competent unless the supra-local agency is (§ 85(1)); youth office set up by each local agency (§ 69(3)); information and advice for parents (§ 24(6))
- 4 Facility and school: delivery on the ground; concept and arrangements set by provider and school (provider procedure)
Numbers: how far has the expansion come?
In its press release of 30 July 2026, the federal ministry states that 74 percent of primary schools work as all-day schools. It adds that about 1.9 million primary-school-age children are cared for all day, in an all-day school or a Hort, a take-up rate of 57 percent (BMBFSFJ, 2026). The third expansion report dates the 1.9 million and 57 percent to the 2023/24 school year. For that school year it gives take-up as 84 percent in eastern Germany and 51 percent in western Germany. In 2024, according to a DJI child-care study cited in the report, 65 percent of parents of primary-school children had a need for all-day care (BMBFSFJ, 2025).
For the need for places, the report calculates two scenarios. With constant parental demand, about 166,000 additional places are needed by 2026/27; with demand ten percentage points higher, 284,000, on average 225,000. For 2029/30 the mean is 264,000 (BMBFSFJ, 2025). For investment, the federal government provides €3.5 billion in financial aid until 2029; in addition it takes a lasting share of the states’ additional operating costs (BMBFSFJ, 2026).
- What: Four key figures at the top, then a bar chart: additional places needed in two school years, each in three scenarios.
- Context: The place numbers come from a model calculation with two assumptions about parental demand. They are not a forecast. They date from the 2023/24 school year; states partly count places twice, and the report adjusts for clear double counting. The fourth report is expected in December 2026 and may change the picture.
- In practice: Use the numbers to understand the national picture, not to work out the need in your own area: that depends on your municipality.
Chart as text
- 74 percent of primary schools are all-day schools according to the federal ministry (press release of 30 July 2026)
- About 1.9 million primary-school-age children attended an all-day school or a day-care facility in 2023/24; that is 57 percent of children aged six and a half to ten and a half
- Take-up in 2023/24: eastern Germany 84 percent, western Germany 51 percent
- In 2024, 65 percent of parents of primary-school children had a need for all-day care (DJI child-care study, cited in the report)
- Additional places needed in 2026/27: 166,000 with constant demand, 225,000 on average, 284,000 with 10 percentage points more demand
- Additional places needed in 2029/30: 190,000, 264,000 on average and 339,000
Practical: five questions to ask locally
The federal act answers only part of what a family or a team needs to know. The rest depends on your state, your municipality and the provider. Figure 8 lists five questions that follow directly from the law. Ask them at the school office, at the provider or at the youth office, and keep a note of the answers with the date. This guide cannot tell you what applies in a particular place or to a particular child.
- What: Five numbered cards, each with a question, a short note on why it matters and the source in the law.
- Context: The federal act answers only part of each question. The rest depends on state law, your municipality and the provider.
- In practice: Take the list to the school office, the provider or the youth office, and write down the answers with the date.
Chart as text
- 1 What is the offer called here, and who runs it? (KMK, 2025, p. 4; for the Hort § 26 sentence 1)
- 2 Which hours does the school cover, and which does another provider cover? (§ 24(4) sentences 2 and 3)
- 3 What happens in the school holidays? (§ 24(4) sentences 4 and 5)
- 4 Is there a notice period before the child starts? (§ 24(6) sentence 2)
- 5 Who informs and advises on places in my area? (§ 24(6) sentence 1; § 69(3))
Key German terms
- Ganztag – all-day education and care for primary-school children, in an all-day school or a Hort
- Ganztagsschule – all-day school: a school offer, open, partly bound or fully bound (KMK definition)
- OGS (Offene Ganztagsschule) – open all-day school: pupils take part on request; labels differ between states
- Hort – after-school care centre: a day-care facility for school-age children
- Tageseinrichtung – day-care facility: children spend part of the day or all day there and are supported in groups (§ 22(1))
- Kindertagespflege – childminding by a suitable person, for special needs or as a supplement
- Rechtsanspruch – legal entitlement: a claim that the child holds under the law
- Jugendamt – youth office, set up by each local public child and youth welfare agency (§ 69(3))
- Träger der öffentlichen Jugendhilfe – public child and youth welfare agency, with overall responsibility including responsibility for planning (§ 79(1))
- Träger der freien Jugendhilfe – independent child and youth welfare provider; they deliver services next to public agencies (§ 3(2))
- Schließzeit – closure period of a facility; state law can allow up to four weeks in the school holidays
- Landesrecht – state law; it regulates the details of support in day-care facilities and can go further than the federal act (§ 26, § 24(7)); schools fall under state school law
- BGBl. – Bundesgesetzblatt, the Federal Law Gazette in which federal acts are published
Frequently asked questions
Is all-day care compulsory for my child?
No. Section 24(4) SGB VIII gives the child an entitlement but creates no duty to attend. The federal government describes take-up as voluntary (BMBFSFJ, 2025). Whether a family uses an offer is the family’s decision.
Does a child in third or fourth grade already have the entitlement in 2026/27?
On a regular school path, not under paragraph 4: it applies to children who attend first grade in 2026/27 or later (sentence 1). For school-age children without that entitlement, a needs-based offer must be kept available (§ 24(5)), and further-reaching state law remains unaffected (§ 24(7)). The youth office can tell you what applies locally.
Does the entitlement also apply in the school holidays?
It applies on working days (§ 24(4) sentence 2). For school holidays there are two special points: it also counts as met if a public or recognised independent provider makes youth-work offers under § 11 available (sentence 4), and state law may allow a closure period of up to four weeks a year (sentence 5).
Is all-day care free of charge?
The federal act does not say so. For support in day-care facilities under §§ 22 to 24, which also covers the entitlement in § 24(4), cost contributions can be set (§ 90(1) no. 3). They must be graduated (§ 90(3)). On application, the contribution is waived or taken over if the burden is unreasonable for the parents and the child; the act names cases where this is always so, for example when parents or children receive benefits to secure their livelihood under Social Code Book II (§ 90(4)). Amounts differ by state and provider; this guide does not cover charges for school-run programmes. Ask the school or the youth office.
Does my child have the entitlement if we have only just moved to Germany?
We cannot assess individual cases. The act ties its benefits to actual residence in Germany (§ 6(1)). Foreign nationals can claim benefits only if their habitual residence in Germany is lawful or based on a toleration under residence law (Duldung) (§ 6(2)); rules of supranational and international law remain unaffected (§ 6(4)). The youth office can tell you whether this applies to your family.
- The entitlement phases in with the school-starter cohort: first grade in 2026/27, grades 1 to 4 from 2029/30.
- In the holidays, youth-work offers can count; closure weeks need a state rule.
- Who delivers what is decided by your state, your youth office and the provider: ask locally.
Our self-study courses on the topic
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- All-Day Care for Primary School Children – Pedagogy in Hort and OGS
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Team access & free trial →Further reading
German titles are followed by our translation in square brackets; they are not official English titles.
Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend [Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, BMBFSFJ]. (2025). Dritter Bericht der Bundesregierung zum Ausbaustand der ganztägigen Bildungs- und Betreuungsangebote für Grundschulkinder nach § 24a SGB VIII [Third report of the federal government on the expansion of all-day education and care for primary-school children under section 24a SGB VIII]. Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.bmbfsfj.bund.de/bmbfsfj/service/publikationen/dritter-bericht-der-bundesregierung-zum-ausbaustand-der-ganztaegigen-bildungs-und-betreuungsangebote-fuer-grundschulkinder-nach-24a-sgb-viii-276954
Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend. (2026, 30 July). Rechtsanspruch auf Ganztag startet zum 1. August 2026 [Legal entitlement to all-day care starts on 1 August 2026] [Press release]. Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.bmbfsfj.bund.de/bmbfsfj/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/rechtsanspruch-auf-ganztag-startet-zum-1-august-2026-292232
Gesetz zur ganztägigen Förderung von Kindern im Grundschulalter (Ganztagsförderungsgesetz – GaFöG) [Act on all-day support for children of primary-school age] of 2 October 2021 (BGBl. I p. 4602), Articles 1, 2 and 7. Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl121s4602.pdf
Gesetz zur Stärkung der Angebote der Jugendarbeit im Ganztag während der Schulferien [Act to strengthen youth-work provision in all-day care during school holidays] of 29 March 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I No. 85). Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.recht.bund.de/bgbl/1/2026/85/VO
Sekretariat der Ständigen Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland [KMK]. (2025). Allgemeinbildende Schulen in Ganztagsform in den Ländern in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland – Statistik 2019 bis 2023 [General-education schools with all-day provision in the German states – statistics 2019 to 2023]. Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/Statistik/Dokumentationen/GTS_2023_Bericht.pdf
Bundesministerium der Justiz. (n.d.). Sozialgesetzbuch (SGB) Achtes Buch (VIII) – Kinder- und Jugendhilfe [Social Code Book VIII – Child and youth welfare], as published on 11 September 2012 (BGBl. I p. 2022), last amended by Article 9 of the Act of 23 April 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I No. 111), §§ 3, 6, 11, 22, 24, 26, 69, 79, 85 and 90. Retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_8/__24.html
Updated: November 2026. Legal status: wording of the norms read on 13 November 2026; the Federal Law Gazette texts were cross-checked against the consolidated act and the ministry press release. Titles in square brackets are our translations. Figures and the legal position change; the fourth expansion report is expected in December 2026. We correct errors openly and with a date. This guide describes the situation in Germany in general terms; it provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Created with AI assistance and editorially reviewed by GermanSocialLab. Editorial principles (German)