What Are Facility Closed Days?
Facility closed days (Schließtage) are dates when the entire Kita is closed and no childcare is provided. Common examples include:
- Days between Christmas and New Year
- Bridge days (Brückentage) after public holidays
- Planning or training days when no children attend
- Summer closure periods
In Germany, most Kitas have 20--30 closed days per year, set by the facility management or the umbrella organisation (Träger).
How to Configure Closed Days
- Navigate to Facility Settings in the administration area.
- Select Closed Days (Schließtage).
- Add individual dates or date ranges for the current year.
- Save. KiDig processes the changes for all employees.
Closed days should be set at the beginning of the year or as early as possible, since they directly affect vacation balances.
Effect on Vacation Balances
This is the most important aspect: every facility closed day that falls on a workday automatically counts as a vacation day for all employees.
- KiDig checks each closed day against the employee's contracted workdays.
- If the closed day is a workday for that employee, it deducts one vacation day from their entitlement.
- If the closed day falls on a weekend, public holiday, or a day the employee does not normally work, it has no effect.
Example: A facility has 25 closed days. 5 of those fall on weekends or public holidays. An employee working Monday through Friday loses 20 vacation days to closed days, leaving 10 days (from a 30-day entitlement) for personal vacation.
Keyword Precedence
When a closed day overlaps with another keyword, the following precedence rules apply:
| Existing keyword | Closed day effect |
|---|---|
| Sick / Sick with AU | Sick takes precedence. No vacation deducted. |
| Approved vacation | Already counted. No double deduction. |
| Special leave | Special leave takes precedence. |
| Public holiday | Public holiday takes precedence. No vacation deducted. |
| No keyword | Closed day applies. Vacation deducted. |
This ensures employees are not penalised for being sick during a closure period.
Group-Level Open Day Overrides
In some facilities, individual groups may remain open on a day when the rest of the facility is closed. KiDig supports this through group-level open day overrides:
- Go to Group Settings for the specific group.
- Mark the relevant closed day as an open day for that group.
- Employees assigned to that group on the overridden day will not have a vacation day deducted.
This is common during summer closures when a Notgruppe (emergency group) remains open with reduced staffing.
Practical Tips
- Communicate early. Employees should know the closed days at the start of the year so they can plan personal vacation around them.
- Review after changes. If you add or remove closed days mid-year, check the vacation balances for all employees to confirm the adjustments are correct.
- Part-time employees benefit most from careful configuration. A part-time employee working only Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is unaffected by a Friday closure.