Bundestag passes mandatory language tests for four-year-olds in German kindergartens

Bundestag approves the law

The Bundestag passed the Startchancen- und Qualitätsentwicklungsgesetz on Thursday, 12 November 2026, in a roll-call vote. Bundestag vice president Bodo Ramelow (Linke) announced that 458 members voted for the bill and 132 against, out of 591 votes cast. The law requires four-year-olds attending kindergarten to be tested for language and developmental deficits, with targeted support where deficits are found. Mathematical skills and self-regulation will also be assessed so that help can come before children start school. Education minister Karin Prien (CDU) calls the diagnostics a "decisive lever" for later educational paths, pointing to education studies that show growing weaknesses among pupils. Ahead of the vote, Prien made clear how much weight she gives the law.

“This law makes equal opportunity possible in our country.”

Voted for458

Voted against132

Voted for

458 votes

Voted against

132 votes

Data from the article text

What the tests involve

From 2029, mandatory language tests will apply to all children in kindergartens, at the latest in their fifth year of life. Tests of other skills follow from 2032. Two hours of staff time are planned per child for testing, and at least 30 minutes per child each week for planning and supervising any support. Children who do not attend kindergarten are also to be tested and supported where necessary, but this is a soft obligation rather than a requirement. Michael Hose (CDU), an education policymaker, told the Bundestag that kindergartens would finally become educational institutions, which he called long overdue.

Hose put the aim plainly:

“No child may fall through the cracks any more.”

Funding and the Bundesrat

The vote does not end the process. The bill needs the consent of the Bundesrat, and because the states are responsible for kindergartens, it is expected to go to the mediation committee and be amended there. The federal government plans to give the states 1.5 billion euros a year from next year through 2034, dropping to 1 billion euros from 2030. Opposition parties and state governments want more federal money, arguing that tests and support require additional staff. Saxony says it will not consent: its education minister Conrad Clemens (CDU) told the Bundestag that Saxony would call the mediation committee if the bill passed, and criticized federal plans to halve support for kindergartens.

From next year to 20291.5

2030 to 20341

From next year to 2029

1.5 billion euros per year

2030 to 2034

1 billion euros per year

Data from the article text

Clemens made Saxony's position explicit:

“We will not agree to this law.”

Opposition criticism

The AfD says the law does not tackle the underlying problems, namely the staff shortage and the lack of kindergarten places. Greens and Left politicians argue that the federal government plans to spend less on kindergartens in the coming years, not more, and that the law's possible benefits could fizzle out. Anja Reinalter of the Greens asked whether the law was the government's answer to Pisa and to the education crisis, while wanting national standards at lower cost. Heidi Reichinnek of the Left party accused the government of hypocrisy and social cutbacks. Opposition politicians broadly welcome the idea of better support for children, though.