Introduction/specifics

Our facility can accommodate up to 95 children in five groups. Different care hours are offered in all groups.

Betreuungszeiten Kindergarten und Krippe:

VÖ-Gruppe:
Montag bis Freitag: 07:30 bis 13:30 Uhr -
Additional possible pickup time: 12:00 Uhr (for ages 3 and up only)

Verkürzte Ganztagesgruppe:
Montag bis Freitag: 07:00 bis 15:00 Uhr

Ganztagesgruppe:
Montag bis Freitag: 07:00 bis 16:00 Uhr

Our daycare center is located in the heart of the Kochersteinsfeld neighborhood, in a quiet and sheltered cul-de-sac. Surrounded by single-family homes and apartment buildings, the children experience a familiar residential environment with short distances and manageable structures. At the same time, nature, fields, and a playground are all within walking distance. This allows the children to get to know their hometown and experience their surroundings as part of their daily lives.

In our center, fostering a sense of well-being through building relationships is a top priority. Every child should feel accepted and find their place in the community. This trust forms the foundation for holistic development.

As a large center, we benefit from the diverse personalities, qualities, and qualifications of our staff. Different strengths flow into our daily routine and enrich our educational work. We regularly reflect to further develop the foundation of our educational approach.

Key pillars of our daily routine are a structured schedule, our spatial concept, and free play. Structure and recurring elements provide children with security and orientation. The younger a child is, the more important reliable routines, rituals, and familiar caregivers become.

Rooms

The 3 preschool groups are located on the ground floor of our building. Here, the children enjoy spacious and bright rooms with direct access to the garden and outdoor areas.

The children in the two nursery groups are cared for on the upper floor, which is easily accessible

both via the stairwell and through the garden via an outdoor staircase. The rooms in the nursery are tailored to the youngest children and offer a safe and quiet atmosphere.

We view our rooms as spaces for learning and exploration. Materials, order, and quiet spaces help children find their bearings, act independently, and explore their surroundings.

In special-purpose rooms and separate activity areas, the children experience a wide range of educational and learning opportunities. The space itself acts as a “third educator”: it invites children to play, explore, create, move, and rest.

Outdoor Facilities

The outdoor areas are also important spaces for exploration. The children have access to age-appropriate garden areas for children under 3 and over 3. Additionally, for the nursery children, the rooftop terrace is directly connected to the building and accessible via just a few steps or stairs. This makes it easy to incorporate physical activity and fresh air into their daily routine.

Basics

“The Child at the Center”

“The child is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled.”

François Rabelais (1494–1535), writer.

This idea captures our fundamental educational philosophy. We do not seek to mold children, but rather to guide them attentively, value their individuality, and create spaces where they can grow.

The focus is on each child—with their individual needs, interests, strengths, and developmental milestones. We are guided by the child’s basic needs: to experience well-being and recognition, to discover and understand the world, to express themselves and communicate, as well as to have a say and contribute to the community. These ideas come to life in everyday life—in relationships, in play, in conversations, in movement, in projects, and in our shared interactions.

Learning takes place through interactive processes. Children learn by engaging with other people, with materials, with spaces, and with their environment. They learn at their own pace, using all their senses, and through their own actions. Our educational professionals support these learning and developmental processes attentively, sensitively, and in a way appropriate to the children’s developmental stages.

Partially Open Approach in Preschool:

We follow a partially open approach in our preschool. On the one hand, the children experience a sense of belonging, guidance, and security within their home group. On the other hand, we intentionally open up spaces and play areas throughout the day, thereby creating opportunities for interaction.

Depending on their age, situation, and stage of development, the children can help decide where, with what, and with whom they would like to play. Step by step, they expand their scope of action and experience, meet children from other groups, and develop shared play ideas. Younger children look to older children for guidance, while older children take on responsibility and see themselves as role models.

In doing so, we combine openness with reliability. Children need freedom, but they also need clear agreements, rituals, and mindful guidance. This is how they learn to make decisions, show consideration, understand rules, and take responsibility for themselves and others.

Situation-Based Approach and Free Play

Our daily educational practice is shaped by the situation-based approach. We draw on what engages, moves, and interests the children: experiences from family life, observations in the community, questions about nature, friendships, conflicts, celebrations, or special events—

these can give rise to conversations, play ideas, creative activities, or projects. We also consciously address social topics such as sharing, arguing, helping, comforting, and a sense of belonging.

Free play plays a central role in this. For children, play is a fundamental form of learning. During free play, children make decisions, develop ideas, repeat actions, solve problems, process experiences, and build relationships. This strengthens their joy, curiosity, motivation, and positive self-image.

Language and Communication

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher (1859–1951)

Language is a constant presence throughout our daily life at the daycare center. Children use language, facial expressions, gestures, and body language to make contact, express their needs, ask questions, share their feelings, resolve conflicts, and understand the world.

For us, language development is not a standalone activity, but rather an integral part of our daily interactions: during morning circle or home group time, at mealtimes, during free play, while reading aloud, singing, rhyming, storytelling, exploring, building, and playing.
In addition, we work closely with a specialist in language education and language support. This allows us to guide children’s language development in a way that is relevant to daily life, playful, and targeted. We view multilingualism and diverse family languages as an enrichment.

Sustainability, Values, and Community

Education for sustainable development is important to us. We want children to experience firsthand that nature, food, water, energy, and materials are valuable. In our daily lives, we make a conscious effort to use resources wisely, reuse materials, and treat plants and animals with care. Being close to nature enhances these experiences.

Children have the right to develop an independent personality capable of functioning within a community. That is why participation, child protection, and the teaching of values are integral parts of our work. Children should experience that their opinions matter, that they are allowed to have a say in decisions, and that they are part of a community.

Values such as respect, helpfulness, consideration, tolerance, justice, and responsibility are not merely discussed here—they are lived out in our daily lives. Through their actions, our educational professionals instill fundamental democratic values, strengthen the children’s sense of self-efficacy, and support their ability to function as part of a community.