Full-day support is a supplementary educational program that offers elementary school students support in the afternoon to help them develop their personalities.

The legal entitlement ensures that all children in elementary school receive support. This is intended to give everyone the same opportunities. It also aims to close the childcare gap that arises when children start school.

If your child is attending first grade in the 2026/2027 school year, they are entitled to a full-day childcare place. If your child is attending second to fourth grade, they are not legally entitled to this. The city of Mainz plans to have a youth welfare service provider or the after-school care program at the elementary school take in students in the higher grades. A solution is currently being worked on. 

Supervision takes place at the school (for example, in classrooms and supervision rooms, in the schoolyard, and in the school gym).

Starting in 2026/2027, all half-day schools in Mainz will offer first graders either a program that fulfills their legal entitlement or a full-day program. The full-day program runs Monday through Friday from the end of classes until 4:00 p.m. Friday is optional.

Use of full-day support is voluntary, but participation (after registration for the school year) is mandatory (see diagram). Afternoon support is subject to a fee (see question 10).

Example of a daily schedule for full-day support:

• After school, there is lunch.
• After that, there is time to do homework.
• From around 2:00 p.m., there is time for cultural, creative, and sporting activities, free play, and relaxation. The focus here is on the children's social and emotional development. The children are supported by qualified teaching staff.

Pupils at all-day schools are also entitled to all-day care from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The all-day school covers the legal entitlement from Monday to Thursday. If there is a need for care on Friday afternoons, a service is also provided by the primary school or a youth welfare organization.

Yes, there will be a charge for lunch.

Lunch should be eaten in the cafeteria. For half-day schools without cafeterias, the city of Mainz is currently working on completing temporary cafeterias (as a transitional solution). The cafeterias that are under construction will be completed. 

The amount cannot be determined precisely at this time and is still being calculated.

As with after-school care fees, the costs of full-day care are socially graded.

The city of Mainz is currently developing a central municipal registration system. Registration for youth welfare services for first graders in 2026/2027 will open in early 2026.

The requirements for staff depend on the legal jurisdiction in which the all-day program is located.

• In all-day schools and supervised elementary schools, the School Act (SchulG RLP) applies. Therefore, the Ministry of Education is responsible for the staff there (Model 1).
• For all-day programs organized by recognized youth welfare organizations, the requirement for qualified personnel applies (SGB VIII). This means that pedagogically trained employees work there (Model 2).

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The current guidelines for setting up a primary school with after-school care provide some guidance. Here, the ratio is specified as 1 to a maximum of 25 for qualified staff and 1 to a maximum of 20 for non-qualified staff. In full-day youth welfare services, the requirement for qualified staff applies. The ratio is currently being calculated.

All full-day support services are designed to be inclusive.

Full-day support is not teaching-related support or tutoring.

Yes, these child and youth welfare services will continue to be provided for as long as they are needed.

If a primary school providing childcare meets the legal requirement, it can remain in place (model 1).

If the primary school with extended hours does not meet the legal requirement, a youth welfare service will be set up there to offer places to first-grade pupils (model 2).

If the youth welfare provider can only offer full-day support to first-grade students, then there is the possibility that a supervised elementary school will help shape the transition period from 2026/2027 to 2029/2030.

It is beneficial when the youth welfare service provider at the school works together with clubs from the neighborhood. This ensures a varied range of activities. There must be fixed rules for this, for example, how many children are registered and when the club meets. Then youth welfare service providers can work together with a club. The city of Mainz is working on making this cooperation possible.

This legal entitlement also applies to holidays. However, state law may stipulate that childcare facilities may remain closed for up to four weeks during school holidays. The Ministry of Education is currently considering whether to do this.

The results of a parent survey in Mainz are currently being evaluated. This survey also addresses the need for holiday childcare. The results will form the basis for further planning. The city of Mainz is also working with youth welfare organizations that will offer holiday childcare services during the holidays.