daycare center
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daycare center
A facility for caring for children during the day, for example when the parents are working. The term includes nurseries, kindergartens, and after-school care centers. The common abbreviation is 'Kita' (daycare).
Unsere Tochter geht seit einem Jahr in die Kindertagesstätte.
Our daughter has been going to the daycare center for a year.
This long word is made up of three parts: 'Kinder' (children) + 'Tag' (day, with the linking -s in 'Tages') + 'Stätte' (place). So it literally means 'a place for children during the day.'
Die Suche nach einem Platz in einer Kindertagesstätte kann schwierig sein.
Finding a place in a daycare center can be difficult.
In everyday language, the abbreviation 'Kita' (daycare) is almost always used. This short word is much more common in both spoken and written language than the full term.
Mein Sohn fühlt sich in seiner neuen Kita sehr wohl.
My son feels very comfortable in his new daycare.
Pay attention to the prepositions and the case: 'in die Kindertagesstätte' (to the daycare center, accusative) describes movement to a place, while 'in der Kindertagesstätte' (in the daycare center, dative) describes staying at that place.
Ich bringe meine Tochter jeden Morgen in die Kindertagesstätte.
I take my daughter to the daycare center every morning.
kindergarten
Der Kindergarten is a specific form of childcare for children usually between the age of three and starting school. Die Kindertagesstätte is the broader umbrella term and can also include a nursery or an after-school care center. When referring to care for a kindergarten-age child, both words can mean the same facility.
Unser einjähriger Sohn wird in der Kindertagesstätte betreut.
Our one-year-old son is cared for at a daycare center.
Unser vierjähriger Sohn wird im Kindergarten betreut.
Our four-year-old son is cared for at kindergarten.
