In Thuringia, the new Thüringer Kindertagesbetreuungsgesetz (ThürKitaG - Thuringian Child Daycare Act) will come into force on January 1, 2018, giving every child whose usual place of residence is in Thuringia a legal entitlement to all-day education, upbringing and care in a child daycare facility from the age of one until they start school. The entitlement includes a daily care time of ten hours within the opening hours of the daycare center from Monday to Friday.

Longer care times of up to twelve hours can also be agreed; there is no legal entitlement to this.

Under the new provisions of the Kindertageseinrichtungsgesetz (Child Day Care Facilities Act), all children with disabilities or at risk of becoming disabled have the right to be supported together with children without disabilities in all child day care facilities if support in line with their needs can be guaranteed.

Day care facilities for children within the meaning of this law are family-supporting facilities in which children are educated, raised and cared for during the day. They are divided into:

• Day nurseries for children up to the age of three,
• kindergartens for children from the age of three until they start school,
• day nurseries for school-age children until they complete elementary school,
• jointly run facilities for children of different age groups.