Lesson 61 · German A1-2

School & Childcare Vocabulary

Schule und Kita

If children are part of your move, registering for Kita (daycare) or Schule (school) is one of the earliest practical steps, often running in parallel with your own Anmeldung. This vocabulary set is useful even without children, since German school terms come up constantly in daily conversation and news.

Today's win: understand the German childcare/school system's basic vocabulary and ask a registration question.

The system, briefly

die Kita (Kindertagesstätte)daycare, roughly ages 1-6
die Grundschuleprimary school, ages 6-10
die weiterführende Schulesecondary school, from age 10

Core vocabulary

der Platzspot/place (e.g. a Kita spot)die Anmeldungregistration (Lesson 9's word, reused)
der Lehrer / die Lehrerinteacher (m/f)die Klasseclass/grade

Registering

Ich möchte mein Kind für die Kita anmelden. (I'd like to register my child for daycare.)
Gibt es einen freien Platz? (Is there a free spot? - es gibt, Lesson 58)
Wie lange ist die Warteliste? (How long is the waiting list?)

Worth knowing early: Kita spots in many German cities are in high demand, and waiting lists (Wartelisten) can be long - registering as early as possible is standard advice.

Try it out loud: ask about registering a child (real or hypothetical) for Kita, including a question about a waiting list.

Quick recall check

1. What's the German word for daycare?

Show answer
Kita

2. "Is there a free spot?" - ______ es einen freien Platz?

Show answer
Gibt

3. What age range typically attends Grundschule?

Show answer
6-10

4. What's the German word for "waiting list"?

Show answer
Warteliste

5. What's the article for "Klasse" (class/grade)?

Show answer
die

Primary source

Vocabulary cross-checked against the Deutsch Online A1 course glossary.

Navigating a real Kita or school registration? Ask your teaching agent to help with the specific forms or questions.