Being a working mother during school holidays

Berlin schools have about 13 weeks of holidays a year. Someone working full time often gets only 5–6 weeks of annual leave. You don't have to cover the 7-week gap alone. Holiday care at school, your legal rights, affordable camps and other mothers' strategies together can close this gap.

This guide is for working mothers in Berlin with a child at primary school (Grundschule). We've also added a few notes for children at Kita.

Holiday calendar: know the dates first

In Berlin, holiday dates are fixed years in advance. It's easiest to plan in January, looking at the whole year's holidays at once.

If a younger sibling goes to Kita, their calendar is separate. From 2026, publicly funded Kitas in Berlin can close for at most 27 days a year. The number of closing days must be stated in your Kita contract. Even when the Kita is closed, it has to arrange suitable care in consultation with parents. So when the closing-day list comes out, tell them right away which days you need care.

Practical step: Put the school and Kita closing days in one calendar, then decide with your partner or support network who covers which week.

Holiday care at school (eFöB / Hort)

In Berlin, the care offered by primary schools covers not only school days but also the holidays. For most families it's the first and cheapest way to close the holiday gap. Its official name is eFöB (ergänzende Förderung und Betreuung); in everyday language it's called Hort.

• Grades 1–3: Care between 07:30 and 16:00 is free and no proof of need is required. For longer hours you need to apply separately.
• Grades 4–6: A new application is needed. The fee depends on family income. Some districts charge separately for care with and without holidays, so you can register for school days only.
• Lunch: Free at school for grades 1–6.
• Application: Made through the school to your district's Jugendamt. It's recommended to apply at least 3 months before the start. Processing can take 6–10 weeks.
• Documents: Both parents with custody need to sign. From grade 4, income documents from the previous year are also required.
• If you work long hours: For the hours Hort doesn't cover, you can ask the Jugendamt for additional childcare (ergänzende Kindertagespflege).

Questions to ask the school: What are the Hort opening hours in the holidays? Do you need to register separately for holiday weeks? Are there days when the Hort is closed in the summer holidays? This varies from school to school, so it's a good idea to ask for it in writing at the start of the year.

Your rights at work

Priority for annual leave. The law requires employers to take leave requests into account. If many people at work ask for leave on the same dates, the employer has to weigh their social circumstances. Having a school-age child counts as a very strong reason in this. But there's no automatic right to priority, and urgent business needs can outweigh it. So submit your summer leave request early and in writing.

Taking Elternzeit in parts. Few people know about this right, but it's very useful for the holiday gap.

• Elternzeit can be used until your child's 8th birthday.
• Up to 24 of the total 3 years can be saved for when your child is between 3 and 8.
• Each parent can split Elternzeit into at most 3 parts. For example, 3 weeks of the summer holidays can be one part.
• If your child is over 3, you need to tell your employer at least 13 weeks in advance. For the summer, that means by the end of March at the latest.
• Your employer can refuse the third part for urgent business reasons. The first two parts are easier to use.
• Elternzeit is unpaid. You don't get a salary for this time, but your job is protected.

Unpaid leave (unbezahlter Urlaub). You have no legal right to it, but it can be agreed with your employer. Employers may be open to it, especially in sectors where work slows down in summer.

Kinderkrankentage can't be used for holidays. In 2026, each parent can take 15 days of sick-child leave per child, single parents 30 days. This leave only applies when your child is sick. It can't be used because the school or Kita is closed.

What you can discuss with your employer: Working from home more during holiday weeks, shifting your working hours, or using overtime (Überstunden) during the holidays. These aren't legal rights; they depend on your contract and workplace rules. If there's a works council (Betriebsrat), you can ask them too.

Camps and affordable activities

For weeks when Hort isn't enough, or when your child stops going to Hort after grade 4, Berlin has many options.

• Super-Ferien-Pass (€9): For Berlin children up to 18. Valid in all holidays of the 2026/27 school year. It includes free entry to Berliner Bäder pools on every holiday day and more than 500 discounts. You can get it at REWE, pools, youth centres or through jugendkulturservice.de. For low-income families, BuT can cover the cost.
• Youth centres in your district (Jugendfreizeiteinrichtungen): They run all-day workshops, trips and camps in the holidays. Most are free or very cheap. Search for "Ferienangebote" on your district's Jugendamt page.
• Holiday calendars: Sites like sommerferienkalender-berlin.de and meredo.de collect Berlin's holiday programmes in one place.
• Host family programme for low-income families (Gastelternprogramm): Children aged 5–10 stay with a family in the Netherlands for two weeks. The fee depends on income; the lowest is €80 for two weeks. Apply at ferien-fuer-kinder.com.
• For children with special needs: Organisations such as Wildfang e.V., Sterntal e.V. and Lebenshilfe Berlin run inclusive holiday trips.

Tip: Popular summer camps can fill up in February–March. Try to finish registrations before the Easter holidays.

Reducing costs

Tax deductions. From 2025, 80 percent of childcare costs, up to €4,800 per child per year, can be deducted from tax. This applies to children under 14.

• Holiday care, babysitters and the babysitter's travel costs are covered.
• Sports clubs, language courses, private tutoring, meals and school trips are not covered.
• The invoice must be in your name and paid by bank transfer. Cash payments aren't accepted.

For grandparents coming from Türkiye: Free care from relatives can't be deducted. But if you pay the travel costs of a grandparent who comes to look after your child, these costs can be deducted. You need a written agreement, the flight invoice and a bank transfer. We recommend asking a tax adviser or a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein about the details.

Employer support. Some large employers have agreements for holiday camps, emergency childcare or family counselling services (Familienservice). Make sure to ask your HR department.

For low-income families. If you receive Bürgergeld, Wohngeld or Kinderzuschlag, your child can benefit from BuT. It can cover some holiday costs such as the Super-Ferien-Pass.

Practical tips from mothers

• Stagger your leave with your partner. If you take leave one after the other instead of both taking the same two weeks in summer, you cover 3–4 weeks. You can still keep one week together.
• Set up a rota with other parents. If 3–4 families from the same class each work from home one day and look after all the children, the week is covered. The class parents' group chat is a good place to start.
• Sign up for the same camp as a friend. Your child settles in more easily, and you can share drop-offs and pick-ups with the other family.
• Plan grandparent visits early. If they're coming from Türkiye with a visa, getting a visa appointment can take months. For the summer, apply in spring at the latest.
• Ask for the Hort holiday programme. Many Horts prepare trips and activities for the holidays. Seeing the programme in advance helps you prepare your child and makes your own planning easier.
• Don't leave the last week of the holidays open. In August, many camps end early and Hort staffing goes down. Make a separate plan for the last week.
• Make room for yourself too. Taking a day off while your child is at camp and using it just for yourself is also an option.

This section will grow with the experiences of women in the BACIM community. If something has worked for you, you're welcome to share it.

Sources

• Berlin holiday dates 2026/27 (Kalenderpedia)
• Senate answer on Kita closing days, June 2026 (Berlin House of Representatives)
• Applying for eFöB (service.berlin.de)
• eFöB / Hort information (Jugendamt Neukölln)
• eFöB / Hort information (Jugendamt Pankow)
• Leave priority during school holidays (Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung)
• Elternzeit FAQ (Familienportal, Federal Family Ministry)
• Kinderkrankengeld 2026 (TK)
• Super-Ferien-Pass 2026/27 (Bezirksamt Steglitz-Zehlendorf)
• Holiday programmes and Gastelternprogramm (Jugendamt Reinickendorf)
• Deducting holiday childcare costs from tax (Steuertipps)

This guide is not a substitute for legal or tax advice. Information checked as of October 2026.