GaFöG During School Years
Whether your child attends a half-day or full-day school—GaFöG is available for both options. Check here to see how your child’s legal entitlement is being met at their school.
There are two ways to implement this:
- Model 1:
The school’s full-day programs take priority, such as the full-day school program (GTSA). From Monday through Thursday, this program is offered free of charge. On Friday afternoons, optional care until 4:00 p.m.—for which a fee is charged—can be booked through a youth welfare agency or a primary school providing after-school care.
At a half-day school, a “Betreuende Grundschule” (BGS) can also fulfill the legal entitlement. This service also requires a fee.
- Model 2:
If the school does not offer full-day programs, the City of Mainz will provide an afternoon program. This program will be run by a youth welfare organization on the school premises and is subject to a fee. Participation in the full-day program is voluntary; however, once registered, attendance is mandatory for the entire school year. Registration is valid for one school year at a time and can be renewed annually.
You can choose between two options:
- Care from Monday through Thursday, until 4:00 p.m. each day
- Care from Monday through Friday, until 4:00 p.m. each day
To give you a better idea of what a typical afternoon looks like in the all-day program run by an independent youth welfare organization, here is an example:
- After school ends, there’s lunch.
- After that, there’s time to do homework.
- Starting around 2:00 p.m., there’s time for cultural, creative, and sports activities, free play, and relaxation periods. The focus here is on the children’s social-emotional development. The children are supported by qualified educational staff.
Note
Since school-based programs take priority, please first review the information on the legal entitlement to full-day support on the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Education’s website.
Download diagram
Registration with Tiered Pricing, Costs, and Link
You can find registration information for school locations where an independent child and youth welfare organization offers services through the city’s online portal, Kinder-Kompass Mainz:
Overview of Elementary Schools in Mainz by School Type Starting in the 2026–2027 School Year
In Mainz’s elementary schools, this legal entitlement is implemented differently at each school. You can find the specific offerings at your school here:
Mainz-Altstadt
Mainz-Bretzenheim
Mainz-Drais
Mainz-Ebersheim
Mainz-Finthen
Mainz-Gonsenheim
Mainz-Hartenberg-Münchfeld
Mainz-Hechtsheim
Mainz-Laubenheim
Mainz-Lerchenberg
Mainz-Marienborn
Mainz-Mombach
Mainz-Neustadt
Mainz-Oberstadt
Mainz-Weisenau
Special schools
You can find information about the elementary school districts in the state capital of Mainz at the following link:
Contact us
You can reach the GaFöG team at gafoegstadt.mainzde. Feel free to get in touch!