The Bundestag will vote on new nationwide requirements for early childhood support on 12 November 2026. The federal government’s draft legislation of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the proposes making it compulsory to assess children’s language and developmental skills by the age of five at the latest, and to provide support where needed. Following a debate, parliament plans to hold a recorded vote on the bill.
The proposal aims to reduce differences between the federal states According to the government’s draft, only three states currently require assessments of both language skills and other areas of development, or are introducing them. In seven other states, only language skills are assessed on a compulsory basis, or preparations are under way to introduce such assessments. The government says that the timing, target groups and procedures also vary.
To carry out the assessments, childcare centres are to be provided with staffing resources amounting to two hours per child. At least 30 minutes per child per week is planned for arranging and supporting subsequent provision. The developmental stage and support needs of children who do not attend a childcare centre are also to be assessed. The states are to determine the details.
Additional staffing support is planned for centres where a higher proportion of children grow up in difficult circumstances. At least 10 per cent of childcare centres in each federal state are to benefit. According to the federal government, factors such as families’ financial circumstances and children’s language development may be taken into account when selecting centres.
The The Bundestag’s Education Committee recommends changes to the original draft. This would give the states more flexibility in their staffing plans, while short-term staffing shortages would not be allowed to jeopardise support. However, implementation would still depend largely on the states and the centres.
To fund the measures, the federal government plans to forgo some of its VAT revenue in favour of the states. According to the government, around €9.25 billion in total is earmarked over eight years from 2027. The funding is intended to ease the states’ additional costs. There is disagreement over how far the money will go and how sustainable the funding should be.
At a Bundestag hearing on 2 November 2026, experts partly welcomed the approach but also pointed to staffing and funding problems. Education researcher Yvonne Anders stressed that the information collected must be useful for educational work and that children needing support must actually receive additional help. Representatives of local government associations called for adequate funding from the federal government.
The Education and Science Workers’ Union criticised the hearing’s excessive focus on tests and called for better working conditions and more staff. The childcare provider Fröbel backed binding standards and called for additional federal funds to result in more staff and better support. Whether the planned assessments improve educational opportunities will therefore also depend on what support follows them locally.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).