Published on 11/07/2019

Anyone moving to Florida with their family or wanting to live there temporarily inevitably has to think about school or childcare. Both childcare and the school system differ in several ways from the system in Germany.

Kindergarten in Germany is used synonymously with daycare or Kita. In the USA, kindergarten is essentially the first year of elementary school, although it is actually a kind of preschool and, depending on the place, elementary school really starts only with 1st grade. However, a K-12 system is common, which means children go to childcare (childcare) until about 5 years old. These facilities are often already called pre-school, and the last year is often the so-called VPK year, that is the voluntary pre-kindergarten year. In Florida, there is entitlement to a free pre-kindergarten year.   

Childcare, so daycare, is free by law in some regions of Germany (e.g., Rhineland-Palatinate and the city of Düsseldorf) and there is a legal right to a place. This is not the case in Florida. Although prices vary, costs around USD 200.00 per week - somewhat more or less depending on the child's age - are quite common. However, this is for a 5-day week and up to 10 hours of care per day. Daycare generally opens around 6 or 6:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. Within these hours, one can have the child cared for up to 10 hours. Lunch is usually included. Some daycares also offer breakfast. Snacks and drinks are usually included as well.   

Overall, daycare in the USA is more school-structured than usual in Germany. The groups are generally called classes and are very age-specific. So, for example, there is a class with three-year-olds, one with four-year-olds, and so on.

Unlike in Germany, it is normal here to find countless infant car seats in the entrance hall area of the daycare since the admission age is very young.   

At about age 5, children in Florida then attend kindergarten, meaning the preschool education within the elementary school. While all daycares in Florida are private, there are basically three types of schools in the Florida school system: public schools, private schools, and charter schools (which are partly public and partly private). Among private schools there are both religious and other private schools. Public and charter schools are free of charge, private ones normally charge tuition fees (sometimes up to USD 20,000 per year).

Public schools in Florida belong to a school district, which is usually the county, comparable to a German district. Certain things therefore differ from district to district. It can make sense to familiarize yourself with the regulations in the different districts before moving. Among other things, the address can restrict the choice of public schools.   

Lee County (including Cape Coral, Fort Myers), for example, has a so-called school choice system. Here, you can choose from all public schools located within a certain zone that includes your own address.   

Another difference between the German and American school systems lies in the schedule. In Germany, an early school start is common even in elementary school. In Florida, so-called bell times are not uniform. In Lee County, elementary schools are usually organized so that gates open at 8:25 a.m. for students to enter; classes start at 8:55 a.m. All public schools in Lee County have been participating in the so-called CEP program (Community Eligibility Provision) since this year, meaning all students in Lee County public schools receive free breakfast and lunch. Most students arrive at their school from 8:25 a.m. and go through the cafeteria to get their breakfast. Breakfast is eaten in the cafeteria or taken into the classroom, depending on the school.

Since schools are often well equipped technologically, in some schools (even elementary schools), breakfast is eaten together in the classroom with the teacher and the morning school announcements are watched, which may be broadcast live to the classrooms.

Lunch is eaten together in the cafeteria. Even though the dishes are often “typically American,” whole grains and little sugar are used. Even the well-known brand names found on some snacks in the cafeteria are not the regular products available in supermarkets but are so-called “Smart Snack” versions made specifically for use in school cafeterias. Fried dishes are not offered at all. Emphasis is placed on local and fresh products.

While in Germany classes and class teachers generally remain unchanged for a certain period, in the USA class composition and teachers change every year. However, this can be seen as positive because children are very open to new students since there is no established class community new students have to integrate into.   

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