Mainz – September 12, 2026 -- Public libraries across Rhineland-Palatinate will offer free coding instruction to children aged four to seven starting this autumn, under a new partnership between the state's Landesbibliothekszentrum (LBZ) and German public broadcasters WDR and SWR.
Library staff train in September ahead of autumn rollout
Training sessions for participating library staff run from September 21 to 23, 2026, preparing personnel to guide children through the program before public sessions begin in autumn 2026.
"Wenn-Dann-Maschine" app teaches programming logic across four levels
The initiative centers on the "Wenn-Dann-Maschine" ("If-Then Machine"), a learning game within the existing Elephant app tied to Germany's children's television format "Die Sendung mit dem Elefanten." The tool delivers basic coding principles across four difficulty levels, and most exercises function without a tablet. Accompanying materials target parents and pedagogical staff.
Program expands after rollouts in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony
The coding initiative has already run in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony ahead of its extension to Rhineland-Palatinate. It remains free for both children and the libraries that host it, with the current phase scheduled to run through mid-2027.
Officials frame libraries as equalizers in early digital education
LBZ director Hans-Günter Scheer said the program is designed to support educational equity, noting it is open to all children "independent of the social background and income of their parents." WDR director general Katrin Vernau said the project, now active in three German states, aims to teach digital fundamentals to children aged four to seven in a playful format. SWR director general Kai Gniffke argued that media literacy education belongs in kindergartens and elementary schools rather than only in upper secondary grades.