From age three until school starts, children have a right to a kindergarten place.

The entitlement is part of child and youth welfare.

A kindergarten provides a setting for education, upbringing and care before school. The entitlement sought concerns such a place, rather than any leisure activity. In this age group, it does not simply depend on whether the parents find kindergarten particularly useful.

To find an actual place, parents need to clarify the local registration process and their childcare needs. The responsible youth welfare office or municipality explains the procedure and available provision. A legal entitlement and the practical arrangement of a place are related, but are not the same step.

The other three answers

The other provisions are not the statutory entitlement in this question.

Three is not the first age threshold for a childcare entitlement.

From the first birthday until the third, section 24 already provides an entitlement to early childhood provision in a day-care institution or through childminding. The question concerns only the following period until school entry; it does not claim younger children generally have no entitlement.

An entitlement to a place does not automatically mean every form of care is free everywhere. Contributions, possible exemptions and the precise hours of care must be clarified separately. An entitlement to provision is also not the same as a general obligation to attend kindergarten.