You can get an overview of the money you are entitled to for maternity leave, birth and parental leave on the pages of the Bundesministeriums für Familien, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth).

In addition to the general financing possibilities for studying, there are some special grants for studying parents:

• BAföG for student parents

Special regulations for pregnant and parental students: Childcare supplement, extension of maximum duration of support, in case of interruption of studies, in case of loan repayment.

In general: as a BAföG recipient you are entitled to an exemption from the obligation to pay broadcasting fees.

You can find further information on the BAföG pages of the Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research).

• Loans for female students with children

The Hildegardis Association for the Promotion of Women's Studies in Germany grants allowances or interest-free loans to single parents female students of Christian denomination. Further information can be found on the pages of Hildegardis Verein.

• State foundation “Hilfe für Mutter und Kind”

This foundation under public law supports expectant mothers in need, families with many children and single parents in special emergency situations with financial aid if the statutory benefits are not sufficient.

The foundation benefits are voluntary benefits. There is no legal claim to them. You can find further information on the pages of the Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales.

• Housing Allowance

The housing allowance is a subsidy towards rent for people with low income. However, students who already receive BAföG are usually not supported with housing benefit, since BAföG already includes a flat-rate housing allowance. However, there are exceptions if a child lives in the household of the BAföG recipient. You can find further information on the pages of the Studentenwerk Niederbayern-Oberpfalz.

Our slides on "Studying with a child" contain information on maternity protection, organising your studies before the birth, parental leave, illness of the child, etc.

Every year at the beginning of the winter semester, we offer an information event on the topic of studying with a child. Speakers from the Study Centre, the Student Union, the Donum Vitae counselling centre and the Bavarian South Employment Agency provide tips and information on how to manage studying with a child or children.

You can find a complete overview of the childcare options in Deggendorf on the homepage of the city of Deggendorf, for Pfarrkirchen on the homepage of the city of Pfarrkirchen and for Cham on the homepage of the city of Cham.
In order to get a place in the daycare center or kindergarten of your choice, it is important to register your child early!
Find out as soon as possible about the respective registration modalities in order to avoid waiting times.

• Day nursery "Little Ducks Campus Kids"

More Information

• Babysitter Exchange

In order to be able to expand the range of childcare options in addition to the "Little Ducks Campus Kids" day care centre, we have also set up a babysitter exchange.

Dear parents, if you want to find a babysitter, please fill in this form.
Further information can be found here.

The university serves only as an intermediary and therefore assumes no liability.

If you would like to be included in the babysitter pool, please fill out the form to be included in the the babysitter exchange.

Helpful information:

Babysitter Contract

Babysitter Checkliste

Information Minijob

• Holiday and leisure activities

DIT's MINT Promotion team wants to get young people excited about technology and science and offers the Technology Vacation during school holidays. All information and the dates can be found here.

Also during the school vacations, the association "Technik für Kinder TfK" offers a vacation program at various locations. Information and the registration link are available here about two weeks before the respective vacations.

For four weeks in August, the city of Deggendorf offers vacation care for children between the ages of 3 and 11 with the Feriengarten Sommersprossen.

The city of Pfarrkirchen offers vacation care for two weeks in August. Information is available from June on the city's homepage or at tourist-info@pfarrkirchen.de.

The vacation program of the city of Deggendorf as well as many activities and excursions for children and young people can be found on the pages of the Judendscenters 4You in Deggendorf.

Information about the vacation program in Pfarrkirchen can be found here and for Cham here. 

The Kreisjugendring offers various events and summer camps for children and young people during the summer vacations. Information is available here for Deggendorf, Pfarrkirchen and Cham.

• Communication platform iLearn

We have created a course for you on iLearn, where you can always find new informatino and also exchange ideas with like-minded people.
https://ilearn.th-deg.de/course/view.php?id=9501 
An access key is not required.

• Free children's meal at the Mensa

The Studentenwerk (students' union) wants to support student parents and donates a free children's meal for kids between the ages 0-6 if a student parent pays for a main course with their valid student ID card.
A children's meal always consists of a main course from the regular menu and a side dish, which can also be soup or dessert.

• Diaper-changing room

There is a diaper-changing room (room E003) on the ground floor of the E Building, which can be accessed at any time without a key and is marked as "Wickelraum" with a small icon.
There is also a comfortable chair for breastfeeding and a baby changing unit equipped for emergencies (diapers, wet wipes and nursing pads).

• Parents-with-children office in the green roof pavilion

The parent-and-child office at the Deggendorf campus offers a comfortable environment for parents to still be able to work or study if there are childcare bottlenecks. It is equipped with all the necessary amenities to meet the needs of parents. There is a desk with a network connection in the parent-and-child office so that parents can connect their own laptop. The Kidsbox with a large selection of games is available to keep children occupied. There is a comfortable armchair for breastfeeding and babies can be changed in the adjoining sanitary area. To book the parent-and-child office, please contact familienservice@th-deg.de.

• Social counselling

The social counselling service of the Studentenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz (students' union) can help you with questions about securing your livelihood during your studies, pregnancy and childcare during your studies, general life planning during your studies or studying with a disability.

• Psychosocial counselling

In case of conflicts during your studies, poor performances and concentration issues, various kinds of anxiety (fear of exams or the future) or psychological problems, you can turn to the psychosocial counselling service.

Not easy - but possible! 

Usually required during the course of study, the semester or internship abroad is in great demand by employers and can bring a decisive advantage in the application process. In spite of the immense preparation, it is a memorable time that most student parents would not want to miss.

Useful information and experience reports can be found under:
www.auslandsstudium-mit-kind.de
www.college-contact.com/orientierung/auslandsstudium-kind

Our International Office is here to help you.

Financing possibilities:

• Planning your stay abroad via a funding programme (e.g. ERASMUS) makes coordination easier and may also enable a grant from EU funds.
  Students with children can also apply for special funds for their ERASMUS stay abroad.
  Scholarship and support programmes are available at: www.daad.de
• BAföG recipients can usually receive BAföG when studying abroad: www.auslandsbafoeg.de
• The parental allowance will continue to be paid if a residence in Germany is maintained and the stay is no longer than one year.
• Child benefit can continue to be received if the stay abroad is only temporary, serves the purpose of education and training and the residence in Germany is maintained.
• The insurance cover of the health insurance remains unchanged under the same conditions. In addition, it is essential to take out an international health insurance policy in order to ensure medical care abroad.
• There is usually no entitlement to benefits from the social system of the chosen country.

Plan enough time for the preparations, but also for getting used to the place.

Check the university's own or public/private childcare facilities on site and also clarify the living situation in the chosen foreign country as early as possible.

Before giving birth:

• At the point you learn about your pregnancy: immediate notification to the DIT centre for studies.
• Maternity pay (from your health insurance) or maternity pay from your employer/health insurance company approx. 7 weeks before giving birth.
• Additional requirements for pregnant women and initial equipment for the baby - ALG II application from the 13th week of pregnancy onwards via the job centre.
• Landesstiftung „Hilfe für Mutter und Kind“ (Landesstiftung "Help for Mother and Child"): Applications must be submitted before birth, otherwise funding will not be possible.
• Register parental leave for mother/father in writing with the employer at least seven weeks before the start
• Kindergarten spot: In order to get a place in the kindergarten or nursery of your choice, it is important to register your child early.

Inform yourself as soon as possible about the respective registration modalities to avoid waiting times.

After giving birth:

• Parental allowance at the Elterngeldstelle of the Zentrum Bayern für Familie und Soziales
• Child benefit from the family fund of the job centre. If the minimum income limit is not reached, there is also a child supplement.
• Advance maintenance payments for single parents with no maintanance are paid by the responsible youth welfare office for a maximum of 72 months.

Domestic help is provided by the statutory health insurance companies if there is a child under the age of 12 living in your household and you are unable to provide care due to difficulties during pregnancy or caesarean section births.

You can get further information at your health insurance.

Advice centres during pregnancy on problems, birth and breastfeeding and general questions can be found in Deggendorf at the District Office, Donum-Vitae and Caritas.

Advice for parents in difficult living situations, e.g. uncertainties in upbringing, partnership conflicts, minority of one parent, can be obtained from "KoKi - Netzwerk frühe Kindheit" at the District Office (Landratsamt) Deggendorf.

The Studentenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz also has its own pages on "Studying as a parent".

Every 6 months you'll receive information about measures and news in our Family Services department via e-mail newsletter "familie-in-der-hochschule".

• Newsletter 01 2021
• Newsletter 02 2021
• Newsletter 01 2022
• Newsletter 02 2022
• Newsletter 01 2023
• Newsletter 02 2023
• Newsletter 01 2024

netzwerk erfolgsfaktor familie

The corporate program "Success Factor Family" is a central platform for the topic of compatibility of family and career. With this corporate programme, the Federal Ministry of Family Services, together with the leading associations of German economy (BDA, DIHK, ZDH) and the DGB, is working to make family friendliness a trademark of the German economy. In the nationwide business competition "Success Factor Family", the Federal Ministry of Family Services awards prizes to the most family-friendly employers in Germany once per legislature. DIT successfully participated in this competition in 2016.

familienpakt bayern

The aim of the Bavarian Family Pact is to continuously improve the compatibility of family and career in Bavaria. The partners in the pact are committed to focusing more on work results and less on the hours worked, wherever the specific conditions at work permit this. Flexible working time and workplace models, such as those already in place at our university, as well as the ongoing digitalisation, increasingly allow a family-friendly work culture to be developed.

With the Bavarian Family Pakt, we are jointly shaping the future topic of family and career. The partners in the Bavarian Family Pact have a common goal: quality of life for families and the future for Bavaria as a business location. We think these tasks together and work together for better solutions.

charta „familie in der hochschule“

Furthermore, our university has signed the charter "Family in the university" in the Best Practice Club and thus wants to set a supra-regional signal in the direction of a family-friendly student and personnel policy.

This organisation was created in 2008 to form a unique nationwide network of universities, which is characterised by nationwide dialogue and partnership at eye level. The member universities have many years of experience in initiating and implementing measures for family orientation at universities. Together, concepts and practical measures are developed to support students and employees in better reconciling family and studies or career. The developed handouts, tools and guidelines are proven in practice and illustrate the excellent quality of the implemented measures. They are freely accessible to all interested parties on the club's homepage.

charta der vielfalt

In addition to the compatibility of work and family life, our university is also committed to the creation of an unprejudiced working environment is of utmost importance.

The Charter of Diversity is an employer initiative to promote diversity in companies and institutions. By signing the Charter, the university wishes to emphasise the importance of this issue.

The aim of the initiative is to promote the recognition, appreciation and inclusion of diversity in the working world in Germany. All employees should experience appreciation - regardless of gender, gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact our family service:

Tel. +49 991 36 15-526
Fax. +49991 36 15-292
familienservice@th-deg.de

Contact the care/health insurance company of the relative to be cared for or an independent care centre in your area and get advice so you can get to know all the possibilities and services and can make the right decision for you.

care at home

• Ambulant nursing services

The nursing assignments of the ambulant nursing services include services of basic care and domestic care. Outpatient care enables those affected to remain in their familiar surroundings despite the need for care. An overview of approved nursing care services is provided by the service and price comparison lists that the nursing care insurance funds make available free of charge.

• Care contract

Every care service is obliged to conclude a care contract with its customers, which has to be adjusted in case of any essential change. Sample contracts can be found, for example, at the consumer advice centres.

• Care allowance

People in need of care can apply for care allowance and decide for themselves how and by whom they are cared for. In order to ensure optimal care tailored to individual needs, it is also possible to combine the receipt of care allowance with the use of benefits in kind (care services, such as those provided by an ambulant care service). The nursing allowance is reduced in this case.

• Respite care

If the previous carer is temporarily unable to provide care due to illness, vacation leave or for comparable reasons, the long-term care insurance grants benefits for substitute care for a maximum of six weeks per calendar year for care levels 2 - 5.

• New forms of living – senior citizens’ shared flat

Those offer the possibility to live with peers in the same living conditions without having to give up privacy and independence.

• Pooling

Different people in need of care can combine their entitlement to care services with those of other people in need of care. Pooling saves money. This money has to be invested in further care services when pooling.

care in a nursing home

• Full inpatient care

Full inpatient care is granted if home or semi-stationary care is not possible. The nursing insurance fund checked the necessity of this care by the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Fund (Medizinischer Dienst der Krankenversicherung MDK).

• Partially inpatient care

For example, the patients are picked up in the morning and brought back home in the afternoon. This option is mostly used by working carers. In this case, the nursing care insurance fund covers the costs of nursing care, the costs of social care and the costs of medical treatment. The costs of meals, on the other hand, must be paid privately.

• Short-term care

It enables family members providing care to be relieved of their workload for a limited period of time or prepares a person in need of care to return to their own household after their stay in hospital. The amount of the nursing care insurance benefit for short-term nursing care does not differ within the nursing care levels 2 - 5, but is available to all people in need of nursing care at the same level, regardless of the classification. People in need of care with care level 1 can use the credit amount.

• Childcare

In the case of physically or mentally impaired children, independence is taken into account when determining the degree of care in comparison to children who have developed according to age.

for people in need for care

In order to be able to claim nursing care insurance benefits, an application must be submitted to the nursing insurance fund of the relative to be cared for. The nursing insurance fund is located at the health insurance company. As soon as you have submitted an application to the nursing insurance fund, the insurance company will instruct the MDK to carry out a nursing assessment. From 2017 onwards, the degree of independence of a person will become the central criterion for the need for care and no longer their need for help in minutes for individual tasks. The assessors look at how people cope with quite normal things in life and examine six areas: Movement, thinking and speaking, behaviour, self-care (eating and drinking, dressing and undressing, washing and personal hygiene), dealing with the illness and medication and whether one can plan the day for oneself and get in contact with other people.

People in need of care with care level 2 and higher who live in Bavaria can also apply for the state care allowance.

for carers

Social security for the carer

Anyone who provides non-working care for a close relative or a close relative with at least care level 2 in a home environment for at least 10 hours on at least two days a week is a caregiver in the sense of care insurance (§ 19 SGB XI). The nursing insurance pays pension insurance contributions for nursing people if they are not employed for more than 30 hours a week in addition to nursing care. Nursing insurance pays contributions to statutory pension insurance depending on the type of benefits (nursing allowance, benefits in kind, combined benefits) and the degree of care.

For the duration of your holiday from nursing care - up to a maximum of six weeks per calendar year - the pension insurance contributions will continue to be paid for you.

To pay pension contributions for your care activities, you can also contact the care insurance fund of the person in need of care yourself. They will send you the "Questionnaire for the payment of social security contributions for carers who are not professionally employed".

For carers who care for a person in need of care from care level 2 for at least 10 hours a week, regularly at least 2 days a week, and who have therefore had to give up their employment, the care insurance fund pays contributions to unemployment insurance.

The carer is protected by the statutory accident insurance scheme during the time he or she is caring for the patient.

holiday semester

Anyone who wants to or has to interrupt their studies due to the care of a close relative can submit an application for leave of absence to the centre for studies. Close relatives in the sense of this law are grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, stepparents, spouses, life partners, partners in a marital or life-like community, siblings, siblings-in-law, children, adopted or foster children, adopted or foster children of the spouse or partner, children-in-law and grandchildren.

Students on leave of absence due to the care of close relatives are entitled according to § 93 para. 3 BayHIG to perform study or examination services at the university. A leave of absence due to care can exceed two semesters and is not offset against periods of leave of absence for other reasons.

Regardless of the degree of care, the nursing care insurance fund pays up to 4000 euros on application as a subsidy for adjustment measures that enable or facilitate home care in the home or restore the independence of the person in need of care. The aim of such measures is in particular to prevent the carer from being overburdened. When calculating the subsidy, a personal contribution is levied, which is based on the income of the person in need of care.

A subsidy for home adaptation can also be granted a second time if the care situation has changed in such a way that new measures are necessary.

The Federal Ministry of Health has a selection of brochures that provide information on the Care Reorientation Act, Family Care Time Act, care law, etc.

Health Care Proxy and Advance Decision (§ 1901a Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch)

If your have any further questions, please contact the Family Services of DIT

Tel. 09 91/36 15-526
Fax. 09 91/36 15-292
familienservice@th-deg.de