Understanding Träger Structures in Germany & How We Model Them in HubSpot
Learn how we represent Germany’s complex childcare landscape in HubSpot using a simple, consistent structure that links every Kita to its real Träger and relevant affiliates.
Germany’s childcare landscape is multi-layered: Kitas may be operated by churches, welfare associations, municipalities, private companies, or parent initiatives. Many of these sit inside broader networks or church hierarchies.
To reflect this complexity, we use a clean, three-part structure in HubSpot:
One Parent → Many Children → Multiple Affiliates.
🔑 Core Principles
| Role | Meaning in HubSpot |
|---|---|
| Parent (Träger) | The legal operator that makes decisions and signs contracts. |
| Children (Kitas) | The daycare sites run by that Träger. |
| Affiliates | Any umbrella bodies, parishes, associations, or administrative organizations that influence but don’t decide. |
👉 Each Kita has exactly one Parent (its Träger), and any relevant umbrellas are linked as Affiliates for visibility.
🏷 Affiliate Labels
Affiliates can be categorized using 8 optional labels. These labels make lists, filters, and reports clearer — but they’re not required.
| Label | What It Describes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Landeskirche / Diocese | Regional church umbrella bodies | Ev.-luth. Landeskirche Hannovers, Bistum Osnabrück |
| Kirchenkreis / Dekanat | District-level church bodies | Ev.-luth. Kirchenkreis Hannover, Kath. Dekanat Osnabrück-Süd |
| Parish | Local parish or community church | Abraham-Gemeinde Bremen, Kath. Pfarrei St. Ludgerus |
| Welfare Association | Church-based or non-church welfare providers | Caritasverband Hamburg, DRK Kreisverband Stormarn |
| Umbrella Org | National or regional umbrella networks / private holdings | BETA e.V., Caritas Deutschland, Atvexa Deutschland |
| Administrative Body | Municipal or county-level public entities | Stadt Norderstedt, Landkreis Stormarn |
| Other | Unusual or uncommon associations | Cooperatives or unique networks |
| Träger | Dual-role organizations (operate Kitas and support others) | Volkssolidarität Landesverband Brandenburg e.V. |
📊 How This Looks in HubSpot
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Parent (Träger) = the organization that holds Trägerschaft (e.g., Kita-Werk, Kreisverband, gGmbH, Gemeinde).
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Children (Kitas) = the daycare sites run by that Parent.
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Affiliates = additional umbrella or contextual organizations, tagged with the right Affiliate Label.
When viewing a Träger record in HubSpot (see image below):
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Affiliates appear at the top, grouped and alphabetized by label.
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Children (Kitas) appear below, listed as site-level entries.

This structure makes it immediately clear:
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Who decides (the Parent Träger)
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Who influences (the Affiliates)
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Who operates (the Children)