From emergency childcare to free meals for children – Hannover offers a great deal of assistance for parents who are studying.
During each semester, parents who are students and university/college employees with children face the challenge of coordinating their times with the needs of their children's daily routine. Lecture times outside the opening hours of childcare facilities or on weekends, involvement in research projects, internships or examinations and all they involve: all of these impose burdens when it comes to time management. The structure of Bachelor's and Master's courses limits the flexibility of schedules.
Universities, colleges and the city can help
The Student Union can provide extensive advice on all aspects of balancing the demands of courses and family commitments; if required, it can refer applicants to specialist services in the city, for example the family services bureau. The universities and colleges in Hannover and the state capital of Hannover offer a large number of support services for students with children:
A free daily meal for students' children with the Kids Card for the university refectory
Childcare at close proximity to various university and college sites
Emergency childcare
Childcare during all vacation periods
Arrangements for part-time study on various courses
Coaching and advice on work/life balance
Postgraduate support for family reasons
Advice services for fathers
Family portals on the universities' and colleges' websites
Online childcare market operated by the state capital of Hannover
Parents taking a doctorate
Professional success and a fulfilled family life – these do not have to be mutually exclusive. An academic career can also be combined with the urge to start a family. This represents a particular challenge for doctorate students. After all, scientific qualification, future career orientation and planning a family all occur precisely at the same time of life as completing a doctorate. As a result, the universities and colleges provide support for up-and-coming scientists:
Emergency childcare available on 360 days
Childcare for children aged 1 or more
Childcare during vacations
Postgraduate support for family reasons
Advice available to mothers and fathers
Coaching and advice for single parents and couples with children regarding work/life balance
Seminars on career planning and planning a family
Detailed information in German is available on the websites of the universities' and colleges' equal opportunities officers: