German Before School in Cologne: The Delfin 4 Letter, Kita Support and the Compulsory Vorkurs From 2029

What NRW Does Today, and the Vorkurs That Starts in 2029

If you have read about a Vorkurs Deutsch elsewhere in Germany, you may be looking for a course your child is automatically placed in. North Rhine-Westphalia has no such general school course yet, and one is coming for later cohorts (see the end of this page). What exists today is a chain of checks and a duty to support, and the part that catches newcomers out is that one link in that chain is mandatory and arrives by post.

The Schulgesetz NRW puts it in Section 36. Two years before school the Schulamt (in Cologne the Schulamt für die Stadt Köln) establishes whether a child’s language development is age-appropriate and whether the child has enough German. That check counts as done for children who attend a Kita that provides language education under the Kinderbildungsgesetz. For everyone else, the Schulamt tests. If the result shows a need and the child is not being supported in a Kita, the Schulamt should oblige the child to attend a pre-school language course. A second check follows when you register your child at a primary school.

The timetable above follows the state’s Delfin 4 page and the Stadt Köln parent brochure, and the brochure notes that months vary by year and by place.

If Your Child Is in a Kita

For a child with a Kita place, the system works through the Kita itself. The Kinderbildungsgesetz makes continuous language education part of the Kita’s job, and the state’s Kita FAQ explains that the Kita observes and documents each child’s language and plans support from it. Two points are useful for international families.

• Your consent matters. The observation and documentation (Entwicklungs- und Bildungsdokumentation) needs your written consent. If you refuse, the Kita passes the child’s data to the Schulamt and the child is tested with Delfin 4 at a primary school instead. Giving consent is the simple route.
• Other languages count. The same law says multilingualism is to be recognised and supported, and that other family languages should be observed and supported as far as possible.

No Kita place yet? Our pages on the Kitafinder search and the legal right to a place cover that. For language, a Kita place is also how a child avoids the compulsory course described below, which is meant for children not supported in a Kita.

If Your Child Is Not in a Kita: Delfin 4

The test is named Delfin 4 (Diagnostik, Elternarbeit, Förderung der Sprachkompetenz in Nordrhein-Westfalen bei 4-Jährigen). According to the state, it covers children who turn four between 1 October of the previous year and 30 September of the current year, and who do not attend a Kita or whose parents did not agree to the Kita documentation. The March 2026 round covered children born between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022.

What the day looks like.

1. A letter arrives from the Schulamt für die Stadt Köln. If you need it in another language, the Kommunales Integrationszentrum Köln publishes translations of the invitation in 20 languages, including English, Turkish, Arabic, Russian and Spanish, and the city says a QR code on the letter leads to translations as well.
2. You arrange a date with a primary school, as the city’s video on early language support explains.
3. A teacher or social education specialist tests your child one-to-one, with the game-like test Besuch im Pfiffikushaus. It takes about 30 minutes, and you may come along.
4. You are told the result at the end, and the city’s video says you receive copies: one for you, one to hand to the Kita if your child gets a place, and one that the school sends to the Schulamt.

The official flyer is also offered on the state’s page in English, Arabic, Farsi, Romanian, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian, and it is clear on two points. The test does not diagnose speech and language disorders: a child already in speech therapy still takes part, and a therapist’s care does not replace the test. And it is not optional. Parents who do not make sure that their child takes part may be fined.

What Happens After the Test

If the test shows your child is on track, nothing further is needed from this process. If it shows a need for support, the state describes the next steps:

1. You are advised to register the child at a Kita. That is the preferred route, and the Kita then continues with its everyday language education.
2. If you do not, the Schulamt can oblige the child to attend a pre-school language course. The state says this can be run in a Kita or a Familienzentrum. The Schulgesetz says the Schulamt “soll” order it, which in German legal language means it should do so as a rule.
3. Attendance is then compulsory too, and the flyer says missing the course can also be fined.

Cologne’s city video adds that the Schulamt passes the list to the Amt für Kinder, Jugend und Familie, which invites the child to a course taught by trained staff, with parents welcome. The course ends when the child starts a Kita or school.

The Second Check: Primary School Registration

Every child who becomes school-age in the following year must be registered at a primary school by 15 November. The state notes that the school also checks at registration whether the child has enough German to take part in lessons, and if the talk gives signs that the child does not, the school uses a tested procedure to find out the level. For children who become school-age before August 2029, a child lacking the German needed and not already supported in a Kita should be obliged to attend a pre-school language course. From the 2029 cohort the compulsory Vorkurs described below replaces this.

For the registration itself, see our page on school enrollment in Cologne. For the health exam that follows, which also looks at language, see the school entry exam page. The exam is a health check by the Gesundheitsamt, separate from the Schulamt’s language steps.

If You Just Moved to Cologne

The Schulamt finds children from registration data. The state’s Kita FAQ says it matches registration office data against what Kitas report, which leaves the children without a Kita. So register your address promptly and keep it up to date, because the invitation goes there. Our page on address registration in Cologne covers that step.

Two situations are not described in the sources, so ask rather than guess:

• Your child is already past age four when you arrive. The Delfin 4 rule is tied to the age cohort, and the sources do not say what happens to a child who arrives after that round. The registration check at primary school applies in any case, so ask the Schulamt which route your child is on.
• Your child is already of school age. A different path applies. Stadt Köln says foreign children are subject to compulsory schooling, that families are written to after registration and counselled at the Kommunales Integrationszentrum (Kleine Sandkaul 5, 0221 221-29292), and that the Schulamt assigns the school. Children without enough German for a regular class attend a Vorbereitungsklasse with intensive German, and move to a regular class when possible. Our guide to the integration offices shows which door to use.

What Is Changing: The Compulsory Vorkurs (ABC-Klassen)

NRW has changed its school law. The 18. Schulrechtsänderungsgesetz of 21 July 2026 replaced paragraph 3 of Section 36 of the Schulgesetz with new paragraphs 3 to 9, and the consolidated Schulgesetz valid from 1 August 2026 on recht.nrw.de carries the change. The ministry’s announcement of October 2026 calls the new course an ABC-Klasse and says about a third of children at the school entry exam do not yet have the German needed for successful learning, regardless of background.

• Who. At registration for a school with a primary level, the school checks German and basic learning prerequisites. It obliges children who lack the German needed for lessons to attend a school Vorkurs in the school year before admission, whether or not they attend a Kita.
• When. The obligation does not apply to children who become school-age before 1 August 2029. For them the old rule stays. A child who turns four in the 2026/27 Delfin year is roughly in the first group, so confirm this with the Schulamt.
• Where. The school supervisory authority decides on setting up Vorkurse and assigns the children. The course can be held in a public school, a Kita or another place.
• Getting there. The school’s provider must transport children who attend a Kita in NRW between the Kita and the course. Children not in a Kita get the cost of the most economical journey reimbursed, with details to follow by regulation.
• Consequences. An objection or lawsuit against the obligation does not suspend it. The law lists failing to ensure regular attendance at such a course as an administrative offense.
• Registration date. The ministry says the primary school registration deadline moves to March of the year before school from 2028.
• Content. Besides German, the ministry names motor and social-emotional skills, taught by primary school teachers and social education specialists. Procedures and costs are left to a ministerial regulation, so expect more information before 2029.

Steps for Newcomer Families

1. Register your address and keep it current, so letters reach you.
2. Look for a Kita place early, since it ends the need for the Delfin 4 letter and lets your child hear German daily.
3. Open every letter from the Schulamt für die Stadt Köln the day it arrives, and book the Delfin 4 appointment if you get one.
4. Act on the result: register at a Kita or take up the language course offered.
5. Register at a primary school by 15 November in the year before school.

If Something Goes Wrong

• You missed the Delfin 4 date. Contact the Schulamt using the details on the letter and ask for a new date. The sources do not set a procedure for missed dates, so a written note with the reason is your best record.
• You do not understand the letter. Use the translation page of the Kommunales Integrationszentrum, or call 0221 221-29292.
• The course is too far away or clashes with work. Ask the Schulamt in writing for an alternative, and keep the reply.
• You disagree with the finding. The sources do not describe an appeal for the test result. Ask the Schulamt for an explanation and ask your pediatrician or Kita about your child’s development.

Compliance Note

This page explains the general rules for language assessment and support before school in North Rhine-Westphalia and how Stadt Köln applies them, current as of October 2026. The Vorkurs rules for 2029 still need a ministerial regulation and may be detailed or changed before they take effect. It is not legal advice. For your own child, confirm the details with the Schulamt für die Stadt Köln, the Kommunales Integrationszentrum or your Kita.