Unkel wins German Kita Prize 2025: A role model for inclusion!

Unkel wins German Kita Prize 2025: A role model for inclusion!

In a ceremony on November 30, 2025, the inclusive Kita Unkel from Rhineland-Palatinate was named “Kita of the Year 2025”. Moderator Barbara Schöneberger and Federal Education Minister Karin Prien led the event and emphasized the great importance of early childhood education. Prien emphasized that the upcoming reduction in the number of children can also be seen as an opportunity to improve the quality of care. There were also urgent calls for more daycare places in regions in need of support, as many families urgently need support in the transitional phases of life.

Kita Unkel's win, which was rewarded with 25,000 euros in prize money, highlights a special focus on inclusion and individual support. The facility works closely with the Neuwied Special Education and Therapeutic Center. A therapy dog ​​named Karl plays a crucial role: he can detect epileptic seizures and thus contributes to the safety of the children. The kids at the daycare center already have big plans for the prize money because they want to finance an elephant enclosure and horses.

Prize winners and their projects

But it wasn't just the daycare center of the year that was able to shine. First place in the “Local Alliance for Early Education of the Year” category went to the prevention chains in the Peine district in Lower Saxony, which also received 25,000 euros. Their goal is to provide comprehensive support to children and families in transition phases. In the “Kita of the Year” category, the St. Nikolaus daycare center from Rhineland-Palatinate took second place and received 15,000 euros. The Blue-White Movement Space from Bochum was able to claim the same amount, taking second place in the “Local Alliance for Early Education” category.

In Schleswig-Holstein, the Moordamm daycare center was able to celebrate third place in the “Kita of the Year” category, while the “Family Education in the Mühldorf am Inn District” alliance in Bavaria also achieved third place. The recognition prizes were awarded to ten other daycare centers and alliances, each of which received 1,000 euros.

Joint efforts for better education

In her speech, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, chairwoman of the shareholders' meeting of the German Children and Youth Foundation, emphasized the importance of professionalism and cooperation in the education sector. She calls the introduction of a quality development law necessary to further improve standards in daycare centers. The entire prize fund of the German Kita Prize this year amounted to an impressive 110,000 euros, which underlines the recognition and appreciation for the achievements in early childhood education.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the next round of applications for the German Kita Prize is already underway from mid-January 2026. For anyone interested, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, together with the German Children and Youth Foundation, offers a wide range of information on the further development of childcare, which is to be further expanded in the coming years, and points out how important these institutions are for our society. The ministry's website keeps current information available.