Introduction/specifics

Our municipal kindergarten in Dettingen is located in the Dettingen suburb of Horb. Dettingen (approx. 1600 inhabitants) is located on the eastern slope of the Neckar valley 6.5 km southwest of Horb. The district of Dettingen is well developed and the most important structural supply facilities are available in the town. A number of clubs help to shape life in Dettingen. 

The kindergarten is housed on the premises of the Dettingen elementary school, which is why we work very closely with the elementary school. 

Our facility offers space for 50 children from the age of 3 until they start school. We offer VÖ+ opening hours, which enables daily care from 7.00 am to 2.00 pm. 

We work according to the open concept in our facility. The aim of this is to give the children more space for movement and discovery. In open work, the focus is on the independent development of the kindergarten children. The personal needs of children are the focus and are given more space through the open concept. The focus here is on self-determination and personal responsibility.

Rooms

Our kindergarten is housed in the premises of Dettingen elementary school. In 2023/2024, the premises were renovated and converted to enable the opening of a new kindergarten. 

We have three large rooms available, which we have divided into functional areas. 
Our large movement room offers the children the opportunity to be active at all times and to fulfill their urge to move. 
A large studio invites the children to do creative work. Workshop work and small experiments are also possible in this room. 
Another room houses the role play, building and construction areas, as well as the playroom. 
We use every little niche in our facility to create small functional areas for the children. 

In the morning, the children can have breakfast with their friends in our bistro. Our bistro is also open for lunch at lunchtime.

Daily Schedule

We have established a rough daily routine in our kindergarten. The time between 9.30 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. is organized individually each day according to the children's needs. Gymnastics, nature day, cooperation with the elementary school, pre-school etc. also take place during this time. The garden can also be used by the children at any time during free play time. 

07.30 - 09.00: Arrival of the children, free play and free snack

09.00 - 09.30: Morning circle 

09:30 - 13.00: Free play, activities and activities

11.45 - 13.00: Free lunch

13.00 - 13:30: Free play and pick-up time

Basics

Our basic pedagogical approach:

Every person and every child is individual and has their own personality. We treat all children with respect, accept them individually and give them recognition. The needs and interests of the children come first and we take their striving for education seriously.
Children have many skills from birth. In order to develop these, they need a varied and stimulating environment. Our task is to offer children a wide range of opportunities to educate themselves. Our premises and activities offer children the chance to pursue their own needs and discover new things for themselves. We attach great importance to respecting each child's individual personality. We help the children to think and act independently and thus promote holistic personal development. The children form the center of our educational work. 

We focus on the age, experiences, abilities, interests and needs of the children. Through regular observations, we recognize what is important for the child at the moment and try to meet their needs at all times. The children always have the opportunity to express their wishes, but also to experience limits. We involve the children in our decisions, create common rules and implement these together in everyday life. 

In our kindergarten, the children experience self-determination and personal responsibility from an early age.

We work according to the open concept, so we do not have fixed group rooms and regular groups, but the individual rooms are divided into functional areas. The entire kindergarten is thus transformed into a play and learning area and the children's decision-making options are expanded. The corridors, side rooms and outdoor areas are also actively used for activities. These functional areas deal with topics designed for learning, experiencing and trying out specific interests. This allows each child to choose their own play area, depending on their interests and needs.

The doors are open to the children at all times, which expands the play opportunities both indoors and outdoors. Due to the lack of regular groups, the children get to know other children at a very early age and thus strengthen their social interaction. The children can come into contact with very different play partners, which promotes inclusion and creates spontaneous play groups.
Nevertheless, each child has a designated teacher who takes care of the settling-in period and documents the children's development and holds development discussions during their time at the kindergarten. In everyday life, however, all educational staff are responsible for all kindergarten children. This allows the educational work to be organized more freely and provides a holistic view of the children's development. The regular exchange of information between the specialists results in enriching cooperation with a broader and more open view of the child.

Teamwork with parents

Close cooperation between educational professionals and the children's families is associated with positive effects on the child's development. It is therefore important to us from the outset to establish a trusting working relationship that lasts for several years of childcare.

The parents' trust in the facility and the educational staff is transferred to the children. The trust they experience strengthens the children's bond with the facility. 

Parents are the most important caregivers for their children. A close educational partnership is a prerequisite for good educational work, as parents are the experts on their children and a constant exchange is essential for the child's well-being. Through a respectful and trusting exchange of experiences, common educational goals can be achieved.

Before admission to the kindergarten, there is an admission interview at the facility. The focus here is on getting to know each other for the first time. Everyday routines and information about day-to-day kindergarten life are passed on and the focus is on a mutual exchange. There is also room for initial wishes, goals, fears and worries.

During the settling-in period, the child is very closely accompanied by the parents and there is a lively exchange between staff and parents. During the settling-in period, parents are given a very intensive insight into our daily routine. 

In addition, we are always available to parents for so-called door-to-door discussions and we are happy to provide parents with an appointment with sufficient time if they have any major concerns. Once a year (more often if necessary, of course), we hold a development discussion with the parents/guardians.

Through the ongoing exchange between parents and educational staff about experiences and developmental steps, both in the family and in the kindergarten, we are able to respond to the individual needs of the children. 

We also offer a parents' evening twice a year. On the one hand, these serve as an information event and address current topics and organizational matters at our facility.  In addition, we would like to offer a themed parents' evening, which is individually tailored to current topics/problems/concerns etc.

Another part of our work with parents is our parents' corner. This serves as a platform for parents to get to know each other and exchange ideas. Parents can also find specialist articles and journals, cooperation partners and other offers of help here.

The parents' council represents the interests of the parents towards the provider and the kindergarten team. Parents' council meetings take place regularly and wishes, suggestions, questions and criticism can be discussed and dealt with together. We are also supported by the parents' council in our educational work if required.