Scientific evaluation and reporting on the state of expansion of all-day education and childcare programmes for children of primary school age (GaFöG)

From 2026 onwards, the legal entitlement to all-day education and care for children at primary school level will be introduced in stages so that all children have a full legal entitlement by the 2029/30 school year. Around 600,000 all-day places will have to be created nationwide in order to guarantee a place for all children. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) submits an annual report to the Bundestag on the state of expansion of all-day education and childcare services for children of primary school age (GaFöG report). Prognos and ITES (Institute for Social Theory and Empiricism) have been commissioned to compile the report.

In a first module, Prognos, as the main project contractor, is responsible for comparing the expansion status with the need for places using data from child and youth welfare statistics, KMK statistics and national education reporting as well as the DJI's annual parent survey. In a second module, the measures taken by the federal government (including federal investment programmes) and the federal states for quantitative and qualitative expansion are evaluated.

In a third module, the ITES is responsible for annually changing key topics. In 2023, the focus lay on the structural implementation of the legal entitlement to all-day education and childcare. The aim was to outline core elements of contemporary all-day education and care based on the perspectives of various stakeholders.  For this purpose, a two-day discussion workshop was held in Kassel in April 2023 with stakeholders from politics, administration, civil society, child and youth welfare organisations as well as parent and school management associations to discuss models for the structural implementation of the legal entitlement. The workshop focused on their perspectives on problems and challenges, but also on possible solutions and opportunities for the (further) development of services.

The main topic for 2024 was ‘Personnel and cooperation’. Firstly, a general and in-depth overview of the staff structure was provided based on the available data (in particular child and youth welfare statistics, KMK statistics, microcensus data, etc.). Secondly, all heads of all-day provision (school heads, after-school care centre heads, heads of child and youth welfare organisations) in selected municipalities were assessed in terms of institutional cooperation, the staff structure in all-day provision, the qualifications of their staff, staff requirements and recruitment, the emerging challenges in implementing the legal entitlement to all-day provision, the organisation of all-day provision, other cooperation partners and the need for further development.

In 2025, the GaFöG report focuses on the topic of ‘Family challenges and relief’. Besides inquiring into the use of childcare and the needs and satisfaction of parents, this focus aims to identify the relief and the burdens that parents perceive in relation to their children's participation in all-day education. In addition to analysing available data (e.g. from the KiBS study and the AID:A study), the subjective perspectives of parents in selected local authorities and all-day education and childcare facilities are examined using guided interviews.

Project management (ITES):​ Prof Dr Nina Thieme, Prof Dr Markus Sauerwein

Research associates (ITES): Dr Eva Marr, Isabella Fabianski (from 2025), Laurin Bremerich (from 2024), Annalena Danner (2023)

Project term: January 2023 - December 2026

Funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

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