What Interested Parents Need to Tell Us About Their Child

Thanks for your interest in our Kita: Zebra International Kindergarten!

We all know how difficult it is to find a good place in a kindergarten, especially when it is a bilingual one. That's part of the reason we got started in the first place! To keep you up to date on your options at our kita we've prepared the following how-to-apply guidelines:
The good news for us, but perhaps not so good for you, is that we receive many more applications than we have places to offer. For that reason, we start by recording your contact details and getting you quickly into our "Applicant Pool". To get the ball rolling, you'll need to send us a short e-mail with the following information to: eltern@zebrakita.de

Subject line: child's name, gender, year of birth (i.e. "Jane Doe, girl, 2006")

1. Parents' names, contact telephone numbers, e-mail address, postal address and your nationalities.

2. Name of child, date of birth and sex.

3. The child's language environment. ie: who speaks what language with the child and when.

4. Berechtigungsschein: How many hours of child care do you have?

5. Any other information you think we should have.


The "Applicant Pool" is not a list where you start at the bottom and slowly work your way up to the top as places are filled. When a position becomes available we, the parents and teachers, discuss what type of child is best suited to fill the hole that has been vacated. That means finding a match of age, sex, etc. to compliment the group. Once we've discussed our options from the "Applicant Pool", we invite a group of families to an informal meeting so we can all get to know each other a little better.

So now some ground rules.
Children have to be at least two years old to join Zebra Kita.
You, the parents, also have to be willing to really get your hands dirty. We are a committed group actively involved in running the kita. That involves cleaning, cooking, supervising the kids, repair and handy work... the list goes on. Take a close look at the Concept and make sure you understand it before committing yourself. Effort is required but the rewards are great.

Now to the bottom line: Costs
The fee you pay at a public kita is the same that you'll pay here. The figures are based on income and are publicly available at the Bezirks Amt.
However an additional fee of up to 50 euros per month -- we actually think it will be around 30 euros as we are still trying to accurately calculate our expenses -- will also be levied.
On top of that, so we can generate a pool of funds for initial purchases, we ask for a one-off 500-euro payment on joining that will be refunded in full when the child leaves.

So, what can you do while you're in the Pool? Stay informed by checking the website from time to time and drop us a line now and then to show us you're still interested. That address again: eltern@zebrakita.de
Good luck!

Please note: Unfortunately, currently (as of September 2009) we have no open places and don't anticipate any openings until Aug. 2010. However, feel free to send us a note so we're know you're there if the situation changes.

Please note that we cannot accomodate children under TWO years of age.