Introduction/specifics

We support children in developing a solid foundation for life. We take great care to provide children with an environment in which they can develop into authentic and responsible individuals. For this, children need small, manageable groups and stable, reliable caregivers who are present throughout the day. Our approach provides this: 4 to 5 children with the same educators in the nursery, and 9 to 10 children in the kindergarten during lunchtime (a total of 18 to 20 children in the entire group). A well-structured daily routine, alternating between activity and relaxation, offers a secure framework. Children are active participants in their own development and gain knowledge when they can develop strong attachments. For this, they need a stimulating environment as well as loving and attentive support. To allow children to maintain good attachments within their families and avoid overwhelming them, our childcare hours are limited to fixed drop-off and pick-up times and a maximum of 7.5 hours per day. For this reason, we have fixed closing times as part of our holiday policy (30 days), allowing parents to take holidays with their children. This also ensures consistent staffing levels. In case of illness, a substitute staff member familiar to the children takes over. To enable children to learn and expand their horizons independently, we incorporate quiet work and support in implementing individual ideas, based on Montessori principles.

Overall, the Tanner Children's House offers a very family-like and manageable environment.

Rooms

The spatial design adheres to state guidelines. The aim is to create comfortable spaces with as little prefabricated play material as possible. Children should also have the opportunity to be creative in making their own play materials. Following the principle of "less is more," we want to counteract sensory overload, as the problem for many children today is not a lack of stimulation, but rather a habituation to "too much."

Furthermore, we want to support children in making decisions. They should learn to choose a play material or playmate so they can play with it intensively and with concentration. We incorporate quiet work periods (based on Montessori principles).

We value a stimulating environment with plenty to discover. An environment that encourages play and movement, experimentation, and exploration.

The spatial design is based on two areas: one for toddlers and one for preschool children. The older and younger children are separated for part of the day.

Our goal is to support the children, but not to overwhelm them with excessive demands. 

Anything that sparks curiosity is allowed. And if the child doesn't feel like playing, that's okay too, because learning to tolerate boredom is also a skill that needs to be acquired.

Toddlers

The little ones need plenty of peace and quiet, attention, and closeness from their caregivers. A manageable and familiar environment provides them with security. They have their own group room, equipped with:

• Mattresses, Cushions
• Basic play materials
• Early childhood and picture books
• Building materials
• Natural materials

Kindergarten Children

The kindergarten children also need time for themselves, where they can play undisturbed and don't have to consider the toddlers. The following activity areas are available to them, which can be reconfigured at any time, depending on the needs:

• Reading corner
• quiet corners
• Building corner
• construction games
• Painting and creative areas
• Role-playing room, doll corner

Outdoor Facilities

Movement is a fundamental need for children. They actively explore and understand their environment. It is not in their nature to sit still for extended periods.

We want to motivate children to express their joy in movement and develop their stamina. We do this through space and materials that encourage movement, as well as through targeted movement activities.

It is crucial for children to learn how their activity produces results and how they can thereby influence their environment. Only in this way can children experience their own limits and discover their sense of self.

Furthermore, well-developed gross motor skills are essential for the development of fine motor skills.

We want to give children the time and space to satisfy their urge to move.

Sufficient exercise is intended to strengthen a child's body and prevent illness. We consider exercise in the fresh air to be particularly important in order to boost the immune system.

Daily Schedule

Daily Routine at the Nursery:

7:30 – 8:15 a.m.: Drop-off and breakfast

8:30 – 10:30 a.m.: Outdoor time (walk or garden)

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.: Free play in the room with toilet and diaper changing, other small activities

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Lunch

12:15 – 12:30 p.m.: Diaper changing followed by bedtime

12:30 – 2:00 p.m.: Nap time

2:00 – 2:45 p.m.: Wake-up, dressing, and diaper change/toilet if needed

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Pick-up time

Kindergarten daily routine:

7:30 – 8:15 a.m.: Arrival time with quiet work (based on Montessori principles)

8:15 – 9:00 a.m.: Quiet work and free play

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Free play with breakfast served in two shifts

10:00 – 10:45 a.m.: Circle time

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.: Tidying up, getting dressed for outdoor time (garden/walk to the lake or playground)

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Outdoor time

12:00 – 12:30 p.m.: Tidying up, coming inside in two shifts, getting undressed, washing hands, using the toilet

Group 1 (the younger children)

12:30 – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch

1:15 – 1:30 p.m.: Washing hands, using the toilet, getting undressed, going to the nap room Go

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Story time, quiet time

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM: Wake up, use of the restroom, get dressed

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Pick-up time

Group 2 (the older children)

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Story time, quiet time

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Lunch, wash hands, use of the restroom

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM: Preschool time

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Pick-up time

Food

The childcare program at the TANNER-Kinderhaus includes full meals with breakfast and lunch.

A balanced diet is an important component of children's personal development. Therefore, a cook prepares fresh meals daily at the TANNER Children's Center using high-quality ingredients. The children also help with meal preparation. Together with the staff, the children eat lunch in small groups, experiencing a family-like, structured, and harmonious atmosphere.

We ensure healthy, child-friendly nutrition according to the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) and prioritize the use of regional and seasonal ingredients. We naturally take into account the individual needs of the children, such as allergies, intolerances, or religious dietary requirements.

Meals include:

• Breakfast
• Lunch with salad, raw vegetables and fresh fruit
• Drinks

Basics

situational approach:

We work according to the situational approach.

The situational approach is an invitation to engage with children in life. Our educational work is based on the life situations of the children and their families and relies on open planning (no fixed, rigid frameworks).

The children's interests and needs are central to our planning. To provide children with orientation, there is a clear structure to the daily routine, which incorporates a healthy balance between activity and relaxation. Ritualized routines provide orientation and security.

Otherwise, the children are encouraged to shape their day independently according to their own ideas, needs, interests, and plans.

The children experience that their opinions matter and that they are recognized as individuals.

At the heart of our approach is life as it unfolds for the children – with all its experiences and challenges. Children actively participate in shaping their lives. They should encounter realities and learn from them. The educators support the children's curiosity, take their thoughts and actions seriously, and help them delve deeper into things and phenomena. The staff consciously takes a step back, refrains from providing ready-made answers, and thereby encourages the child to maintain an attitude of interest and inquiry.

In this way, children learn to be in harmony with themselves, with others, and with their environment.

childlike understanding:

For healthy child development, exposure to diverse stimuli is essential, as children perceive the world less through thinking and more through sensory experiences and their own actions. All senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) must be used so that the brain can develop holistically, form a structure, and process perceptions.

The fine-tuning of nerve cells occurs through external stimulation. Children need spaces and materials that stimulate the senses. Children learn holistically. They don't just want to look at things or talk about them. They want to touch them, smell them, taste them, feel them, change them, and experiment with them.

Nature itself remains the best school for the senses. Therefore, it is beneficial to create natural outdoor play areas and spend as much time as possible outdoors.

A limited selection of play materials and playing in nature should awaken imagination and creativity.

This is intended to train the children's ability not to give up in the face of problems on their further path in life, but to find imaginative and creative solutions and to develop a flexible and innovative basic attitude in their personality overall. 

values and norms:

Children primarily grasp the meaning of values ​​and norms through their daily interactions. They need to learn what is important to them; they need support and guidance.

Employee

still under construction

Teamwork with parents

Good cooperation with parents is important to us.

Our children's center thrives on the active participation of all adults in ensuring the children's well-being. Parents who actively contribute their ideas and suggestions are welcome.

We strive for transparency in our work and maintain regular communication. Through dialogue, we gain a deeper understanding of parents and children, recognize the children's needs, and respond appropriately.

The wealth of talent and skills available to parents can enrich our work. Forms of collaboration with parents include:

• Introductory interviews
• Informal chats
• Parents' evenings
• Parents' letters
• Information boards
• Parents' council meetings
• Meetings (at least once a year and as needed)
• Joint activities, e.g., excursions, celebrations, meals...

If you have any criticism or questions, we would prefer a direct conversation. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 

Specifics

The concept serves as a guideline for us, but it is not a rigid framework. It will constantly need to change and adapt. External changes, a new group composition, or new personnel will all influence it. Our flexibility is reflected in the flexibility of our concept.

Child- and Family-Friendly Environment

Our goal is to create a child- and family-friendly atmosphere and to be open to the individual needs of children and parents. Everyone should feel comfortable and accepted.

We want to give children plenty of freedom and joy. Boundaries are set where children need guidance and where others would be inconvenienced. Our aim is an open house with a relaxed atmosphere where everyone feels safe and secure.

Children need an environment where they can explore without fear, without time constraints or pressure to succeed.

We, the educators, want to treat children with the same respect we show adults. We feel responsible for ensuring that every child's rights are respected.

We want to show every child attention, empathy, care, and trust. In case of conflict, we want to find solutions together.

Learning to know oneself and what one wants, reaching agreements with others, asserting oneself, and also yielding are all practiced together. The child determines for themselves what they feel capable of.

We encourage their independence and thereby support their learning processes. We teach them that sometimes things go wrong and that they can learn from mistakes. The children are encouraged and learn to cope with setbacks.

We want to provide children with support, encouragement, and assistance. Crises are also a common part of children's lives. We want to give them the opportunity to experience worries, fears, sadness, and anger, and to practice constructive ways of dealing with difficult situations.

Educators are also there to offer comfort. The adult is both teacher and learner. They are experienced partners for the children and are constantly learning from them as well.

The Mixed-Age Group

In the mixed-age group, children experience themselves as sometimes big, sometimes small, sometimes strong, sometimes helping, sometimes needing help… These personal experiences form the basis for mutual understanding and responsible behavior.

In our children's center, we care for children from the age of one until they start school. Living together with children of different ages and developmental stages provides important experiences that children in today's nuclear family can hardly have anymore. Children interact with other children of different ages and from different cultures.

The younger children receive developmental stimulation through this natural interaction. The older children learn to be considerate of the younger ones and help them, so all the children learn from each other. They learn to fit in, but also to assert themselves.

Personality Development

Every child, with their unique experiences, interests, wishes, and needs, can find their place in the group and thereby enrich the group dynamic. They are accepted and treated as a unique individual, and their feelings and thoughts are taken seriously. All children are equal members of the group who are not changed, but rather supported and empowered in their development.

Children should discover, experience, and express their own abilities and talents. This includes both strengths and weaknesses. They are gently supported, without pressure to perform, in overcoming their weaknesses and developing their strengths. Through this, they learn to accept their limitations and weaknesses without feeling inferior. The child accepts themselves as they are and develops healthy self-confidence.

In living together, children also experience the uniqueness of others. They learn to deal with the peculiarities of others, different skin colors, and other differences. Tolerance and acceptance of diversity are important to us.

In this context, it goes without saying that feelings are taken seriously. Children are allowed to wonder, marvel, laugh, cry, be afraid, etc. Positive and negative feelings are experienced, acknowledged, and addressed appropriately.

An important aspect for us is allowing and respecting a child's "no."

Social Behavior

Children are impulsive and spontaneous, according to their nature. We strive to nurture this and foster self-regulation.

Every child should feel comfortable and be able to develop freely. Living together in a group, children learn how their own well-being depends on how others feel.

Individuality and a sense of community, assertiveness and solidarity go hand in hand. Social behavior means not only sharing or giving back, but also promoting harmonious coexistence.

Consideration, helpfulness, tolerance, and understanding—as well as asserting one's own needs—must be practiced.

We support children in resolving their conflicts themselves whenever possible and raise awareness that there are different people with different needs, all of whom want to be acknowledged.

Through these interactions, children are encouraged to develop mutual understanding, which in turn builds trust. Every child can find their place in the group and enrich the group dynamic with their experiences, interests, wishes, and needs.

Boundaries and Rules

Children not only need freedom to develop, but they also need to experience boundaries. For this, they need meaningful, understandable, and consistent rules.

Rules serve to enable social coexistence and protect both the individual and the group. They provide the framework within which autonomy is possible. For children, rules must be transparent, understandable, and meaningful. Only then will they be accepted.

Rules should be individualized to meet the needs of each child; that is, they are adapted to the children's developmental stage. They are not rigid but are regularly reviewed for their necessity and can be modified as needed.

Health

Health education encompasses not only physical but, above all, psychological well-being.

Children learn about their bodies and how they function through their own experiences (thinking, speaking, behaving) and by observing others.

We aim to identify any perceptual disorders and developmental delays through careful observation and respond accordingly. If we recognize our limitations, we will seek professional advice.

Sufficient exercise is intended to strengthen children's bodies and prevent illness. Outdoor exercise is particularly important to us in order to boost their immune systems.

Furthermore, we focus on the following areas:

• Personal care (e.g., diaper changes, applying lotion)
• Hygiene (e.g., washing hands after using the toilet)
• Healthy nutrition: Our cook follows the guidelines of the German Nutrition Society. By helping with cooking, the children consciously understand what healthy eating entails.

1. Water is available to drink
2. Wholegrain bread (with the bran)
3. Organic apples
4. Organic cheese
5. Primarily almond and oat milk
6. Low sugar

•  Relaxation: In addition to a well-structured daily routine with periods of activity and relaxation, we incorporate quiet time at midday in small groups using MFT (a self-administered relaxation technique for children). We also regularly integrate children's massage techniques into our daily routine.

 Sex Education

Every child develops a secure relationship with their caregivers through early bodily experiences within a nurturing and caring environment. This occurs through the sensitive fulfillment of needs such as food, warmth, security (the presence of caregivers), and skin contact. We strive to provide this environment for the children. A natural and authentic approach to their own intimate body parts, as well as situations in which children discover them, is a matter of course for us. In our center, this also includes using the biologically correct names (vagina, penis, etc.) for these parts. We support sexual development through appropriate picture books, dictionaries, stories, and conversations, integrating them into everyday life. With the older children, we conduct an annual, multi-week abuse prevention project in cooperation with the organization "Women in Need." In addition, we have a center-specific sex education program.

Environment and Nature

An important aspect of our work is teaching children how to treat nature and the environment with care.

For this reason, we want to help children understand that every individual is part of the environment. We want to show them that plants and animals, water, and air form the basis of our lives.

Therefore, children should have the opportunity to experience nature firsthand. We want to cultivate ecological awareness and set a good example, for instance, by avoiding waste and using recyclable materials.

Description and Stations

Directions by car: Coming from the A96:

• Take the "Lindau" exit.
• At the roundabout, take the second exit.
• Continue on Robert-Bosch-Straße for approximately 600 meters and then turn left onto Von-Behring-Straße.
• The TANNER building is on the left-hand side, set back slightly from the road.

Directions by public transport/train:

• Exit the train station and walk 20 meters to the left to the bus stop.
• Take bus line 5 or bus line 2 to the central interchange point (“Anheggerstraße ZUP”). Change here to bus line 3 (“Versöhnerkirche”).
• Get off at the “Von-Behring-Straße” stop. Walk back a few meters along the street and turn left onto Von-Behring-Straße. The TANNER building is on the left, set back slightly from the street.