Introduction/specifics

We are the only day care centre in the town of Grebenstein, with a catchment area of Udenhausen, Burguffeln, Friedrichsthal, Schachten and Grebenstein.
There is a bus transfer for the children from our districts for half-day care.
Our facility accepts children from the age of one until they start school, regardless of their origin, faith or stage of development.
For children with developmental delays or disabilities, we care for them according to the principles of inclusion. By introducing inclusion measures, we want to support the children in their development in the best possible way and assist the parents with advice.
Children of working parents, aged one to two years, are cared for exclusively in the crèche group. The crèche group is predominantly a closed group and has an age-appropriate concept.

Rooms

Crèche (House 2)
The large group room is divided into several areas to meet the different needs of the youngest children. A partitioned area is designed to provide safety and security for the toddlers. 
Other features:

• - a separate dining area
• - a flexibly designed crawling area 
• - a separate bedroom with a separate sleeping area for each child. 

Mini and Maxi Groups (House 1)
The group rooms are bright and friendly and offer the children opportunities to play and withdraw. There is a so-called mezzanine level in each group. This is designed according to the needs of the children and the group situation.
The spacious corridor is used by children for movement and role play.
Further equipment:

• - Learning workshop
• - library
• - Indoor sand room 
• - Movement corridor
• - Head teacher's office
• - a staff room/staff toilet
• - storage room and kitchen

Mini and Maxi Groups (House 2)
Two adjacent open kindergarten groups (mini and maxi groups) cooperate with each other. They are set up according to the age structure. 
Some educational areas such as the construction room, the creative room, the learning workshop and the children's library are used by all groups.
The atrium offers the children opportunities for movement during the free play phases. It is also a popular meeting place for parties and an integral part of project work.

House 3 is located in the Obere Strohstraße in a half-timbered house.
The two open kindergarten groups, a maxi-group and a mini-group, cooperate with each other.
The group rooms in House 3 are also designed differently according to the age of the children. Both rooms have a second level which is used for the children to build and as a role play area.
Further equipment:

• - Learning workshop
• - library
• - Workroom

The gym in the entrance area of house 1 and 2 is used by all children.

Outdoor Facilities

The facility consists of two houses, which are connected by a common entrance and a bright corridor area. 
With its three houses and a total of ten groups, the day care centre has a tree-covered outdoor area of approx. 6,000m2 that invites the children to play and move outdoors.
 

Daily Schedule

The daily routine in the individual groups is designed individually and child-oriented. However, there are also fixed elements and rituals that are used in the educational groups.

A well and clearly structured daily routine helps children to orientate themselves and to master the day confidently through this routine. Regularly recurring routines offer the children reliability and security.

The daily routine is structured in such a way that it offers sufficient space and time for pedagogical activities and free play in the morning as well as in the afternoon and is oriented towards the biological rhythm of the children. Working in mixed-age groups offers the children additional incentives to learn from and with each other.

There are drop-off and pick-up times, fixed and free times for meals, sleeping, playing and activities. 
For children, a day at the day care centre is like a working day for us adults. It is important to us to allow the children the greatest possible participation and self-determination. 

There are always special projects where something can change in the usual routine of the day. Breakfast, for example, is more elaborate when a child's birthday is celebrated or a group breakfast is held together.

Important parts of the day are:

• - Arrival
• - Free play
• - Hygiene/brushing teeth/changing diapers
• - Morning circle/lunch circle
• - Choosing groups, activities or places to play
• - Educational activities (also across groups)
• - Breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack
• - Outdoor activities: walks, garden, forest, excursions
• - Music school (external offer)
• - Pick up

Basics

Our mission is clearly defined in SGB VIII § 22 - It comprises the three building blocks:
CARE - EDUCATION - UPBRINGING
In our pedagogical work, we implement the education and upbringing plan of the state of Hesse. We have incorporated the principles into our concept with the aim of providing all children with very good educational opportunities. The BEP focuses on the child with its individual learning requirements and needs. Incentives are created in which the children can grow, i.e. which they can use productively for themselves and their mental, physical and personal development.

The federal legal framework for the organisation and design of work in children's facilities is provided by the Social Code (SGB VIII), better known to many as the Child and Youth Welfare Act (KJHG). Paragraph 3 of §22 summarises the support mandate for children in day care: "The support mandate includes upbringing, education and care of the child and refers to the social, emotional, physical and mental development of the child.
 

Employee

Our day care centre has 41 employees, including two managers and 5 housekeeping staff.

With 36 educational specialists, we can draw on a wide range of professional and expert knowledge.

Here are just a few examples:

• Integration and inclusion with knowledge of child development; knowledge of clinical pictures and their support possibilities (language, nutrition, autism...).
• Portfolio work
• Project work
• Language education integrated into everyday life
• Digital media
• U 3 further training
• Psychomotor further education

In our facility, the children are cared for and educated by pedagogically qualified professionals. 

These include

• state-approved nursery school teachers
• state-approved social pedagogues
• Specialists with a degree in pedagogy or educational sciences
• state-recognised child carers
• state-recognised curative education nurses

Since September 2021, we have been a place of learning and training for the practice-integrated training to become an educator and support people on their way to this goal. The practice-integrated training (PiA) interlocks professional activity and theory from the very beginning. The trainees work two to three days in the day care centre, while the theoretical basics are taught in the vocational school for social pedagogy.

We currently have one trainee, and in the summer of 2022, two to three more will follow.

Furthermore, educators and social pedagogues can gain valuable experience in the facility until they are recognised.

At the moment, we have one trainee (social work) working for us, and two more trainees (educators) will be employed in the summer of 2022.