For many families, it has been a serious problem up to now: when their children start school, all-day childcare ends. But where should the child go when school is over but the parents are still working? Legislators now want to close this childcare gap with nationwide all-day childcare in Germany. It is to be introduced at around 15,000 primary schools from 2026: Initially, from August 2026, all children in first grade, and then in subsequent years up to 2029, all primary school children up to fourth grade will be entitled to all-day support. According to the German Social Code (SGB) VIII, „all-day“ means eight hours of childcare on all five working days, which is to be provided in after-school care centres as well as in open and tied all-day schools. The all-day programme is not compulsory - but it certainly offers opportunities: this applies above all to sports clubs and independent providers, who can expand their services wherever the local authorities have not decided to provide all-day care themselves.

Important task for Sports clubs

The daily childcare time of eight hours, to which the teaching time is added, needs to be filled: Lunch, homework supervision and study time are absolutely essential. It is good if there is also time and programmes for exercise, games and sport. Sport has not yet been anchored as a central task in the corresponding implementation laws of the federal states for SGB VIII. However, it is foreseeable that the nationwide introduction of all-day childcare for primary school children will have the potential to change the existing club landscape, as extracurricular activities in the afternoon will shift the focus to schools.

Schools and after-school care centres can cooperate with sports clubs and independent providers within the framework of the respective federal state regulations. In some cases, framework agreements are concluded so that small clubs in particular do not have to negotiate the contractual conditions on their own. On the basis of these agreements, sports clubs can, for example, offer training and courses as part of work groups on school premises or on their own club premises or those of a sports organisation.

Sufficient Staff and space

However, such collaborations with schools also pose new challenges for sports clubs: Are the staff and equipment sufficient? Many tasks can no longer be fulfilled by volunteers alone; in addition, special educational requirements must be met. The comprehensive all-day programme can also lead to a shortage of sports facilities. If schools no longer only use their own halls in the mornings, but also in the afternoons, they will no longer be available for some club programmes. In addition, the quality of the sports programme in all-day care must also be ensured. These aspects must be taken into account when schools conclude co-operation agreements with clubs and independent providers. This also includes securing funding for the extracurricular sports programme.

This will probably be a challenge for the large organisations in particular, as they can ensure the necessary quality as well as the further training and education of specialists and trainers by offering more extensive services.