Is an au pair a Schulbegleitung?

What lies behind it

The Schulbegleitung is an approved benefit for the time spent in the setting. Depending on the federal state it is called Schulassistenz, Teilhabeassistenz, Integrationshilfe or Inklusionsbegleitung — in each case the same support during the school or nursery day is meant. Anyone applying for a Schulbegleitung also knows the waiting time: weeks often pass between the application and the first day someone is actually there.

An au pair is something quite different. It lives with your family, knows your child, their signals and the routines at home. It cares, plays, comes along on the way and is there when the day turns out differently from the plan. It does not teach, it takes on no specialist educational task, and it has no remit from the school.

Even so, an au pair changes exactly what many families find hardest: the edges of the day. The morning before school, the afternoon afterwards, the holidays, a day when the Schulbegleitung is absent. Then somebody your child already knows is there, and you do not have to organise unfamiliar care within minutes.

Whether an au pair may accompany your child into the setting in an exceptional situation is not for the agency to decide. You discuss that with the school or nursery and, where necessary, with the responsible body. We advise neither on the application nor on the decision.

Read more: When the Schulbegleitung is absent.