Childcare
Studying or working and raising a child—are these compatible? Yes! If you have good, flexible childcare.
This page contains information on childcare services near the University and about Hamburg's "Kita" or childcare voucher system.
We can help find the right type of childcare for your child!
Parent-child rooms
The parent-child room in the University Administration
The parent-child room at Mittelweg 177 (ground floor, Room S 0014) is available to all University Administration employees for short-term gaps in childcare. In exceptional cases, academic faculty and other University staff members may also use the room. For more information and to register prior to first use, please contact Svenja Saure (svenja.saure"AT"uni-hamburg.de)!
Advance registration required: familienbuero"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Booking requests: wd.mittelweg"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Bahrenfeld Campus
Building 67, Room 004 and Building 610 (HARBOR), Room 2026
Luruper Chaussee 149
22761 Hamburg
For registration, booking requests and further Informations please contact Eileen Schwanold (eileen.schwanold"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
Stellingen Campus
Informatikum, Haus C, Rm 120
Vogt-Köln-Straße 30
22527 Hamburg
Grindel Campus
Room 1007
Grindelberg 7
20144 Hamburg
For registration, booking requests and further Informations please contact Sebastian Zubrzycki (sebastian.zubrzycki"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
Parent-child room Institute of Psychology
Room K02
Mollerstraße 10
20148 Hamburg
Parent-child room Faculty of Humanities
1st Floor, Room 01042
Überseering 35
22297 Hamburg
Parent-child room Department of Asia-Africa Studies
ESA East, Room 107
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, East wing
20146 Hamburg
Flexible childcare
Casper playgroups (in German only)
Studierendenwerk Hamburg has also set up so-called Casper playgroups to ensure regular childcare in the late afternoon and early evening, a service for students and employees alike. You do not need a Kita voucher to use Casper!
"Zwischenspeicher" – Family room at the informatics campus
Students and employees in the MIN Faculty can also find last-minute childcare at the Zwischenspeicher on the informatics campus in Stellingen.
Weekend care at the UKE day care centre (in German only)
The first weekend of every month, the childcare center at the University Medical center (UKE) provides weekend childcare services for children aged 0 to 6. This offer targets UKE staff and students with children as well as students from other universities in Hamburg.
Weekend day care at the KinderCampus (in German only)
You can have your child(ren) looked after by experienced teachers from 10am to 4pm on weekends at the KinderCampus day-care facility.
Childcare near the University
Studierendenwerk Hamburg runs five "Kitas" (combined daycare and nursery school facilities) providing regular supervision for approx. 370 children between one and six years old whose parents are either studying or working at one of Hamburg's universities.
Parents who want to use one of the Studierendenwerk Kitas must have a Kita voucher.
Kita voucher system
Hamburg's parents have a right to childcare, which is governed by the Kita voucher system. You can find more information about this on the webpages maintained by the City of Hamburg. These pages also contain application forms for Tagesmutter services (subsidized childcare run by one nanny or a team of nannies for small groups of children, in either the nanny's home or separate premises) and aged and nursing care both in and outside of the home.
- Application forms for childcare and aged and nursing care (City of Hamburg website - in German only)
The Hamburg Service Portal provides a kindergarten fee calculator (in German only), which will help you estimate how much childcare will cost you on a monthly basis.
Emergency childcare
For all employees of the University
Universität Hamburg offers academic and administrative staff emergency childcare for children up to school entry in cooperation with Elbkinder (also known as Vereinigung Hamburger Kindertagesstätten, an association of childcare providers in Hamburg).
The services are free!
Emergency childcare, close to your home or workplace, is available in all Elbkinder Kitas (combined daycare and nursery school facilities) throughout the Hamburg metropolitan area. The Kitas are open daily from 6 am to 6 pm (until 5 pm on Fridays).
You can visit the facility beforehand for an on-site impression of a given Kita. All Kitas hold open-house days.
Emergency childcare services (PDF, in german only)
Prerequisite
Services are provided under the condition that at least 1 parent cannot fulfill work commitments without emergency childcare.
Emergency/exceptional situations include, for example, the unexpected cancellation of regular childcare, hospitalization of a parent, professional development courses, work-related travel, or other unexpected work-related appointments or assignments. Vacation periods are not considered emergencies as childcare can be planned accordingly.
Registration
If you are interested in the Elbkinder emergency childcare, please register in the Family Office at Universität Hamburg, even if you do not know if or when you will make use thereof. You then receive from us an emergency childcare ID, which you present to the Kita of your choice.
Emergency childcare notification
Should you require emergency childcare, please notify the Kita, if possible,1 day in advance. Since many emergencies, however, arise suddenly, parents can also notify the Kita on the same day (e.g., call in at 7 am to drop off a child at 7:30 am). Prior notification by phone is necessary so that the Kita can organize a proper greeting and supervision.
Mandatory confirmation
Should you make use of the services, punctually submit confirmation (by phone or email) to the Family Office, if possible before or at the latest on the first day of emergency childcare. State your name, position, the reason for and duration of emergency childcare, and the number of children involved. Confirmation is mandatory for all staff members who make use of the emergency childcare services.
For further information on the emergency care services, pedagogical approach, and organizational procedures, see the
MIN Faculty
Students and employees of the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences may apply for financial support for emergency childcare (PDF).
In this case, parents are responsible for organizing childcare, e.g., arranging for a suitable babysitter. For further information about the application procedure, contact the Faculty’s equal opportunity advisor, Dr. Christina Strauß.
Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science
The Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science offers financial support for faculty students and staff in need of emergency childcare (e.g., during days when childcare facilities/schools are closed or when participating in events that take place outside of regular daycare hours).
For further information on conditions and how to apply see the faculty's equal opportunity web page.
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law’s equal opportunity plan includes measures to improve childcare services.
For example, Faculty employees are offered a contribution of up to €300 per semester if they incur additional childcare costs.
Students with children may also apply for a childcare subsidy of up to €300 per semester if they require emergency childcare, especially in the case of Kita closure or Faculty weekend seminars.
For additional information, consult the pages of the Faculty of Law’s equal opportunity advising services.
Special opportunities for children
- University Sports has a special children's athletics program.
- The cafeterias run by Studierendenwerk offer children's meals (german only).