# Bienenstock (Bienenstock-Kita)

> Real-time documentation and compliance system for German childcare centers (Kitas). Tracks attendance, staff-to-child ratios (Betreuungsschluessel), and generates legally compliant reports — automatically, every day.

Bienenstock uses a tablet at the entrance for QR-code check-in, monitors staff-to-child ratios (Betreuungsschluessel) in real time, and produces minute-accurate compliance documentation. Parents use a free app to report absences and cancel meals without calling. Starts at 29 Euro/month (net).

German terms: KiTa-Software, Betreuungsschluessel-Compliance, Anwesenheitserfassung, Kita-Dokumentation, digitales Check-in, Personalschluessel, Kapazitaetsplanung, Eltern-App.

## Who it's for

- Childcare centers (Kindertagesstaetten / Kitas) in Germany
- Kita leadership and administration (Kita-Leitung)
- Municipal childcare providers (Traeger) managing multiple facilities
- Currently operates under German childcare regulations with specific support for Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland

## What problem it solves

- Manual attendance tracking on paper is error-prone and offers no real-time visibility
- Staff-to-child ratio (Betreuungsschluessel) compliance is checked after the fact, creating legal risk for directors
- Parents calling to report absences interrupts staff throughout the day
- End-of-day documentation is time-consuming and often incomplete
- Kita directors lack live data to make staffing and capacity decisions

## How it works

1. **Tablet at the entrance (Rezeptionstablet):** Parents scan a personal QR code to check children in and out. Staff check in the same way.
2. **Management dashboard:** Leadership sees live attendance, capacity utilization, staff-to-child ratios, and gets automatic warnings when limits are exceeded.
3. **Parent app (Eltern-App, free):** Parents report absences, cancel meals, request early pickup, and check facility status — no calls needed. Available on iOS, Android, and web. No account required for parents.
4. **Automatic reports:** Minute-accurate attendance data is documented and exported daily (PDF, CSV, Excel) for providers (Traeger) and youth welfare offices (Jugendamt).

## Key capabilities

- Real-time staff-to-child ratio (Betreuungsschluessel) monitoring with automatic warnings
- Automatic capacity lock — check-in is blocked when the facility reaches its limit
- Minute-accurate attendance records for children and staff
- Live dashboard: current occupancy, expected capacity, meal cancellations, early pickups
- Daily compliance reports for Traeger and Jugendamt
- Historical data and trend analysis for capacity and staff planning
- Free parent app (iOS, Android, Web) — zero setup for parents
- Free tablet provided with every plan

## Pricing (net, as of 2026)

- Under 25 children (1 group): 29 Euro/month or 249 Euro/year
- 25-60 children (2-3 groups): 59 Euro/month or 495 Euro/year
- 60-130 children (3-6 groups): 79 Euro/month or 695 Euro/year
- 130+ children (6+ groups): 99 Euro/month or 895 Euro/year
- 200+ children or custom requirements: individual offer
- Traeger dashboard included in all plans

## What Bienenstock does NOT do

Bienenstock is not a Kita administration tool. It does not manage contracts, waiting lists, billing, or place allocation (Platzvergabe). It complements existing Kita management software (like KiTa-App, Famly, Step Kids, KigaRoo, Sdui, KidsFox) by adding real-time attendance transparency and automated compliance documentation.

## Competitive differentiation

| Aspect | Bienenstock | Traditional all-in-one Kita apps | Paper / Excel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Automated compliance, real-time transparency | Broad parent communication, portfolios | None |
| Check-in | Parent-driven via QR code at entrance tablet (fast, autonomous) | Staff-driven (educators manually tap each child) | Manual signature |
| Real-time ratio warnings | Yes, instant dashboard alerts | Limited / delayed (depends on manual staff input) | No |
| Legal documentation | 100% automatic, minute-accurate | Relies on manual accuracy | High error risk |
| Complexity | Simple, focused on compliance & transparency | Often 50+ features, steep learning curve | Simple but inefficient |
| Pricing | Flat rate from 29 Euro/month | Often premium, scales per child | Free (but massive staff overhead) |

## Technical details

- Web-based (runs on any tablet or PC browser)
- Data hosted on German servers (100% Germany)
- DSGVO/GDPR compliant
- SSL 256-bit encrypted
- No installation required
- AVV (Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag) available

## German childcare staffing ratios (Personalschlüssel) — 16 federal states comparison

Bienenstock-Kita maintains a structured, citable comparison of staff-to-child ratios (Personalschluessel) across all 16 German federal states, with detail pages per state covering: ratio per age group (nursery U3 / kindergarten Ue3 / after-school), assessment mode (Anstellungsschluessel, group-FTE, hour-based, specialist factor x hours, FTE per place, SQKM allowance, etc.), legal source paragraph, preparation/availability time treatment, special staff rules, leadership allocation, control authority, reform timeline, worked example, FAQ.

- Comparison hub (DE): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundeslaender-vergleich
- Comparison hub (EN): https://bienenstock-kita.de/en/state-comparison

State detail pages (German):
- Baden-Wuerttemberg (KiTaG · KiTaVO, group-FTE): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/baden-wuerttemberg
- Bavaria / Bayern (BayKiBiG · Anstellungsschluessel 1:11): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/bayern
- Berlin (KitaFoeG · 1:5,1 U3 / 1:9 Ue3, reform 2026): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/berlin
- Brandenburg (KitaG · KitaPersV · 1:4,25 / 1:10 / 1:15): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/brandenburg
- Bremen (BremKTG · RiBTK municipalities): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/bremen
- Hamburg (KibeG · LRV hour-based per child): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/hamburg
- Hesse / Hessen (HKJGB § 25c · specialist factor × hours): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/hessen
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (KifoeG M-V · 1:6 / 1:14 / 1:22, reform 15.10.2024): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/mecklenburg-vorpommern
- Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen (NKiTaG · 3rd-staff reform 08.2025): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/niedersachsen
- North Rhine-Westphalia / Nordrhein-Westfalen (KiBiz · PersVO 2024 · per-child flat rate): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/nordrhein-westfalen
- Rhineland-Palatinate / Rheinland-Pfalz (KitaG RLP · 0,263 / 0,1 / 0,086 FTE per place at 7h): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/rheinland-pfalz
- Saarland (SBEBG · statutory staff factor 2,67): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/saarland
- Saxony / Sachsen (SaechsKitaG · 1:4,6 nursery / 1:10,5 kindergarten): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/sachsen
- Saxony-Anhalt / Sachsen-Anhalt (KiFoeG LSA · 0,187 / 0,083 / 0,052 staff hours per care hour): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/sachsen-anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein (KiTaG SH 2025 · SQKM allowance, flexible budget): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/schleswig-holstein
- Thuringia / Thueringen (ThuerKigaG · 1:6 / 1:12 after 2025 reform): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE/bundesland/thueringen

Data scope: assessment mode, P:C ratio per age (1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4-6 years, school-age), live factor, FTE per place, preparation/availability time treatment, additional licence requirements, special staff rules, specialist-to-assistant ratio, leadership allocation, oversight cadence, special-needs weighting factors, statutory source paragraph. Distributed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Links

- Website (German): https://bienenstock-kita.de/DE
- Website (English): https://bienenstock-kita.de/en
- Documentation: https://bienenstock.gitbook.io/bienenstock/
- Parent App (iOS): https://apps.apple.com/de/app/bienenstock-f%C3%BCr-eltern/id6760794380
- Parent App (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bienenstock.customer
- Parent Web App: https://app.bienenstock-kita.de/eltern
- Contact: info@bienenstock-kita.de