Family-Friendly University

Kid’s Corner at the University Library

The University of Education has set up a kid’s corner with toys and books for children of all ages as well as a workplace for the parents at the shared university library (Fruchtkasten building). The play area located on the ground floor in the back on the left and shielded by grey partitions is open to all users taking their children along to the library.

Day Nursery Facilities

On the campus

There are two facilities on the campus which give priority to admitting children of students. Applications for a kindergarten year (September to August) must be submitted to the respective facility by mid-February. This means that there is only one application deadline in a year, and this is well before applicants for a place at university will know if they will actually be admitted to the university. Therefore, unfortunately it is normally not possible for first-semester students to obtain a place at day nursery.

Kinderkrippe Villa Kunterbunt: Day nursery for children from 8 months to 3 years (10 all-day and 5 half-day places), operated by the student services organization “Studierendenwerk Bodensee Seezeit”

Kindertagesstätte Mullewapp: Day nursery for children from age 2 to 6 years (20 all-day places), operated by the student services organization “Studentenwerk Weiße Rose e.V.”

In town

In addition, the childcare facilities at the parents’ place of residence can be a suitable option.

For Weingarten, click on Kinderbetreuung Stadt Weingarten

For Ravensburg, click on Kinderbetreuung Stadt Ravensburg

Individual Caregiving

Childminders

Childminders (Tagesmütter, Tagesväter) can be an option as an alternative or in addition to childcare in a public facility. For children between 1 and 3 years, the Youth Welfare Office may cover the major part of the costs, depending on the parents’ income.

Further information can be found on the website of the contact office for parents and childminders: Vermittlungsstelle für Kindertagespflege im Landkreis Ravensburg.

Holiday Care

In Weingarten

The town of Weingarten offers

• holiday care (all- or half-day) for primary school children during Easter, Pentecost and fall holidays, as well as during the last two weeks of the summer holidays
• half-day care incl. lunch for children changing from kindergarten to primary school, during the first school week in September.

Both offers are also open to children not going to school in Weingarten (at a small extra fee). For further information, click here.

In and near Ravensburg

To find the Ravensburg holiday programs and camps offered by other organizations and notified to the town of Ravensburg, click here.

For Students: Special Stipulations in the Study and Examination Regulations

The special stipulations applicable for students with children equally apply to students who take care of a close relative. They allow to stretch the study in time. You will find the special provisions in § 28 of the Bachelor Study and Examination Regulations and in § 26 of the Master Study and Examination Regulations. The regulations can be found in the download area of the Student Administration Office.

Overview about the special provisions for students with family care responsibilities (in German)

Verification:

• In the case of home care, a caregiver must be named in the application to the care insurance fund. This caregiver is then also named in the benefit notification that the care insurance company sends to the person in need of care if his/her application has been positively decided, i.e. a care degree has been granted. If the student is the caregiver listed here, this benefit notification is the proof that must be presented in the examination office. 
• If the student is not the caregiver listed, but lives in the same household as the caregiver (i.e.: student lives with his/her mother; she is the registered caregiver for grandfather, but student helps mother with care), the caregiver should confirm in an informal letter that the student is involved in caregiving. This letter must then be submitted to the examination office along with the above-mentioned benefit notification.
• If neither case applies to you, please describe your situation. A case-by-case assessment will then be made.

Close relatives according to § 7 (3) of the Pflegezeitgesetz (Caregiver Leave Act) are

1.  grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, stepparents,
2. spouses, life partners, partners in a marriage-like or life partnership-like community, siblings, spouses of siblings and siblings of spouses, life partners of siblings and siblings of life partners,
3. children, adopted or foster children, the children, adopted or foster children of the spouse or civil partner, children-in-law and grandchildren.

Should the situation arise, please contact the head of your study program or the contact person mentioned under "Contact & People".

Short and compact: CHE guide "Studieren und Angehörige pflegen" (in German only)

For Staff: Caregiver Leave

The Gesetz zur besseren Vereinbarkeit von Familie, Pflege und Beruf (law aiming at ensuring a better reconciliation of family, caregiving and job) has established a legal entitlement to a leave of absence for different situations, in which close relatives require care or assistance. The very similar stipulations of the Landesbeamtengesetz, § 74 (State Civil Service Act) apply to State civil servants.

You will find a first overview of the possibilities of obtaining a leave of absence in the attached download, detailed information is available at Bundesministerium für Familie (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs).

To apply for caregiver leave, just contact or inform Human Resources.

Care Helper

Christine Hieble in the HR department is the first point of contact for employees who are caring for relatives or who are facing a care situation. As a care helper, she supports those affected with information on contact points and on reconciling work and care.

Special Provisions in the Study and Examination Regulations

The study and examination regulations include a number of special provisions aiming at helping students with family care responsibilities to complete their studies:

You will find the special provisions in § 28 of the Bachelor Study and Examination Regulations and in § 26 of the Master Study and Examination Regulations. The regulations can be found in the download area of the Student Administration Office.

Overview about the special provisions for students with family care responsibilities (in German)

Financial Aid

An overview of financial aid for families from the state and Studierendenwerk and the contact details of Marlies Piper from Seezeit Studierendenwerk Bodensee can be found here. Ms. Piper is the head of social counseling. Student parents with financial concerns are welcome to contact her.

A compilation of social and family policy innovations from 2021 can be found here (in German).

Information on financial aid for families in the Corona crisis can be found here (in German).

Students who have a child under the age of 10 and are entitled to a government grant under the BAföG regulations will receive a childcare supplement in the amount of 150 euros per month. Application forms are available online or at the Seezeit service center located in the dining hall (Mensa). You will also obtain first advice there.

No other financial support especially for student parents is available. However, various funding measures or offers exist for parents in general, for students in general and for anyone in a financial emergency situation. They are described in chapter 4 of the brochure. In particular, we would like to point out the information about possible children's allowance (Kinderzuschlag) as described in 4.4 and about possible subsidies towards the costs of childcare as described in 4.6.

In cases of particular hardship, students can apply to the student services organization  Studierendenwerk Seezeit for interim financial support.

The foundation Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind – Schutz des ungeborenen Lebens (Federal Foundation Mother and Child – Protection of Unborn Life) assists pregnant women in emergency situations.

Students with one or more children going abroad for studies or traineeship in the framework of ERASMUS get a top-up payment of 200 € (from project 2021: 250 €) per month. For more information, get in touch with the International Office, please.

Parents Forum and Club F.A.I.R.

In cooperation with the Weingarten University of Education (PH) and the Club F.A.I.R., a parents forum is organized at least once each semester. It is meant to provide students with children with the possibility to network, learn about current news at the University and voice their concerns.

Club F.A.I.R. is a joint initiative of RWU and PH students and mainly aims at supporting students with children, contact: clubfair@web.de.