Never Say Never

In the beginning of this year, I started to look for some daycare possibilities for Fräulein.

I had previously heard that it is almost impossible to find a kindergarden place for your child here in Wiesbaden. I knew that there are a very few places available especially for the under 3 year olds. Previously, the German mums have stayed at home as Hausfraus with their small children. But I guess  more and more often the mothers now hurry back to work. However, the availability of childcare places is not increasing fast enough (just my own thought, not based on any facts).

In Finland, the city is required to find a daycare place for all children. Although it might not always be the place closest to home or otherwise desirable, there must be at least some sort of place for each child.

But in Germany, you must search for the place by yourself. And as most of the kindergartens are private, you must apply to each of them separately.

I found a handful of places close to our home.

We took part in one introductory evening. There were about 20 families there and these evenings were held every month. So roughly, there were about 100 families applying for a place that year. And we were told that, at the beginning of next August, there would be 5 openings in the Krippe (kindergarten for children ages 1-3 years).

100 kids, 5 places. That kind of took our hopes down.

Anyway, I applied for several kindergartens. Most of them made their decisions in March/April, but I didn't get news from any of them. Only one of the kindergartens takes the children in based on the order they had received the applications, instead of the reputation of the children's parents. Fräulein would be able to start there during summer 2013.

Thus, thinking that we would not be able to get a place in a Krippe for Fräulein in the near future, I was happy to go forward with the Tagesmutter option.

But a month ago, I got a very surprising phone call. It was the kindergarten of our local church calling. They had a place for Fräulein starting the first of September. September this year! All I managed to say was "Danke schön!".

So, we have really exciting time ahead of us. And we need to start all over again with that adjustment program we already went through with the Tagesmutter... But this Kindergarten is in the walking distance from our home. And I guess there are more activities there and the days are more structured for the children, so I hope Fräulein will benefit from it, too.

Although the place is for full time, I hope we can have shorter days in daycare. And I am actually planning to continue some studies I have started a while back, so there is actually something 'real' for me to do while Fräulein is in daycare (like before, I need this excuse for myself, not to anyone else).

So, never say never!

I have also other great news for you, so stay tuned for another episode of Frau Welle - the Expat Hausfrau ;)

*****
Päiväkotipaikan saaminen etenkin alle kolmevuotiaalle on todella hankalaa täällä Wiesbadenissa (ja vissiin Saksassa yleisesti). Suurin osa päiväkodeista on yksityisiä, joten niihin on kaikkiin haettava erikseen. Lisäksi päiväkodit voivat vapaasti valita, kelle paikan antavat, joten oletin prosessin vaativan jonkinmoista aktiivisuutta, että hakemuksemme huomioitaisiin. Koska hakijoita on paljon enemmän kuin päiväkotipaikkoja, päädyimme Tagesmutter-vaihtoehtoon.

Nyt kesällä sain kuitenkin yllättävän puhelun seurakuntamme päiväkodista: Fräuleinille on siellä paikka syyskuun alusta lähtien! Aivan loistavaa, sillä toisin kuin Tagesmutterimme, päiväkoti sijaitsee kävelymatkan päässä kotoamme. Eli taas alkaa uusi sopeuttamisjakso...

Ja lisää hyviä uutisia luvassa... ;)