Introduction/specifics

Our day nursery at Blitzweg is idyllically, centrally and conveniently located at Ortenberg in Marburg with proximity to the forest. In our house, we care for 10 children each aged from six months to three years in two groups, the Waldhummeln and the wilde Wieseln. We are open from Monday to Thursday from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, and on Fridays from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. In the off-peak hours of 7:00 - 7:30 and 16:30 - 17:30 we have a maximum of 10 places available each day. On Fridays, 10 of 20 places are also available from 15:00 - 16:00.

Our facility is a company crèche of the University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, run by the Marburger Eltern-Kind-Verein e.V. (Marburg Parent-Child Association).

The Marburger Eltern-Kind-Verein e.V. runs nine facilities in the city of Marburg and currently looks after around 180 children aged between six months and school entry. The association is a parents' initiative. We attach great importance to the protection of children, a trusting and familiar atmosphere and a cooperative partnership. In our facilities, children should be allowed to develop their talents and experience values such as tolerance, community and closeness to nature.

For further information see: https://www.eltern-kind-verein.de/

Our work in the house is characterised by the interaction of the participation of all big and small people. We attach great importance to a pedagogy at eye level, which values and takes seriously all children with their individual abilities and competences. As we have a large natural outdoor area, we like to use the time to enable the children to experience nature and to discover their world in their own way, in the sense of promoting holistic development.

Rooms

Each group has a group room, a cloakroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom with children's toilets, a baby changing unit and washing facilities on its floor. Both groups can use the ball bath, the movement room, the studio and the garden. We also have a large balcony, which is attached to the movement room and group room of the lower group. This offers space for lots of movement and invites you to play with water or paint in our outdoor studio in the summer.

Our individual rooms appeal to both younger and older children through different sensory stimuli and motor experience opportunities. It is important to us to create an appealing and varied environment for the children in which they can experience a sense of security, in which their different needs can be met and in which they can engage with their environment in their own unique way through play in order to gain important learning experiences.

The educational staff also have a staff room at their disposal which can also be used by the parents during the settling-in period.

Outdoor Facilities

We enjoy spending time with the children from both groups in our large garden. Especially in summer, it is also popular with parents to linger for a moment. It is important to us that the children can experience nature holistically in all weather conditions.

Large shady trees, different surfaces, tree trunks as well as willow tipis and a willow tunnel shape the natural character of our outdoor area. Individual areas in the garden offer the children opportunities to withdraw and play undisturbed, be it in the "little forest" where there is also a mud kitchen or in other corners densely overgrown with bushes.

The large lawn and the sandbox are also very popular with our children. In the adjacent garden house, the children can pick out their toys on their own. Rain gutters at children's height and a large mud group invite them to experiment with water. On a paved track, it is wonderful to whiz down the hill with the Bobby-Car and other vehicles. A barefoot path, a long slide and a large blackboard for painting offer further opportunities for experience.

Daily Schedule

07:00-07:30 Early service (emergency service)

07:30-08:15 Time for arrival and free play

08:30-09:00 Breakfast

09:00-09:30 Changing nappies/toileting, brushing teeth

09:30-11:00 Free play, activities, excursions, ...

11:00-11:30 Changing/toilet use, getting ready for bed

11:30-12:00 Lunch

12:00 noon nap, then diaper change and afternoon snack

14:00 Time for free play, activities, pick-up time

16:30-17:30 Grouping in late service (emergency service)

The times given are to be understood as guidelines. We try to keep to the times in our daily routine in order to give both children and parents an orientation. Ultimately, we are guided by the needs of the children or the group and therefore deviate from the given times in individual cases for the benefit of the individual child.

Food

Eating is a basic need of every human being. During meals together in a communicative group atmosphere, the children have the opportunity to experience food with all their senses.

As a rule, the children bring their own breakfast. There is an exception on Fridays, when we prepare breakfast at the centre. Whenever possible, we purchase the food together with the children and use organic and/or regional food. For our breakfast, we attach importance to a "sugar-free morning", which means that the breakfast should consist of a varied selection of bread, raw vegetables, fruit and dairy products and should not contain any sugar.

Our lunch is delivered to us. However, there is the possibility for our younger children to bring jars or home-cooked food. Allergies, intolerances and religious restrictions are taken into account by our food supplier in the order as required.

In the afternoon, the children also have the opportunity to take another look at their lunch boxes or to have the afternoon snack provided by the facility, which consists of fruit, crispbread or a yoghurt dish, for example.

During our set meal times together, the children experience a sense of community, mutual consideration and participation. Deviating from our set meal times in the daily routine, we take into account the individual needs of each child by adapting to the child's (eating) rhythm.

Basics

Every child arrives at our facility with competencies and brings with them their own willingness to learn, motivation to develop and curiosity to discover the world. It is important to us that children feel taken seriously and valued, this gives them emotional security. Children need security and caregivers who are there for them. In the spirit of early childhood education, we support and accompany the children according to the motto: "Help me to do it myself!" and in doing so, we appreciate the basic competencies that every child possesses from the very beginning.

For us, playing means learning. In play, children engage with their environment in their own unique way. They learn a number of important skills that have a decisive influence on their holistic development. Therefore, free play is of particular importance to us. As far as possible, both the play material and the play locations as well as the group size and constellation are always adapted to the needs of the children. For this purpose, a variety of experiential spaces are available. In the studio, for example, there are a variety of materials that invite creative experimentation and experience. The garden and the nearby forest offer the opportunity to experience nature. The movement rooms invite children to climb, jump and run, and many flexible elements make it possible to create ever new movement building sites. The rooms of the crèche offer many possibilities, which are used inventively and flexibly by us professionals. In this way, free play and the smaller daily activities become a treasure trove of experiences and learning situations.

Participation has a high priority in our day care centre. When planning the day, we take into account the needs and wishes of the children. At mealtimes, the children decide for themselves what they want to try and eat. If children get tired early, we put them to bed at any time and they can sleep according to their personal needs. Likewise, the children specify when they are ready to go to the toilet or when they want to do without a nappy.

Employee

The team of our day nursery consists of six pedagogical specialists. These are made up of educators, childhood educators and a social pedagogue.

Every year, our team is also supported by a mixture of professional trainees, technical college students, social assistants, temporary students and other trainees from a duration of six weeks.

The management of the centre is carried out jointly by the whole team according to a fixed distribution of tasks and intensive exchange. The link between the office, the team, the parents and the family representative of the hospital is also our in-house coordination, which is taken over by Antje Smit.

Harmonious cooperation between the individual team members is important for good and pedagogical work. Agreement on the image of the child, a positive attitude towards the parents and a sense of humour are just as important to us as working at eye level with all team members, whether professionals or trainees.

Furthermore, a high degree of self-reflection, openness to constructive criticism and complaints as well as change processes are essential for us.

To maintain the high quality of our work, the team participates in conception days, further training and supervision.

Additional Offerings

We offer the possibility for the children to participate in a music project once a week. This is carried out by a music teacher together with us.

Teamwork with parents

Educational partnership/complaint management

In order for the child to feel safe and secure in the centre and to receive the best possible support, close and trusting cooperation with the parents is necessary. Open and honest communication from the very beginning facilitates the development of an educational partnership. The admission interview serves to get to know the child and the parents. So-called "door-to-door talks" form the basis for a regular exchange. This is particularly important in this age group in order to involve the parents in the child's everyday life and thus to provide security and trust, as well as to be able to see and understand the child's personality and current situation more comprehensively.

In the regular development discussions (approx. every six to nine months), the regular exchange is intensified and the individual development steps are specifically examined and documented. Here, the child's strengths are in the foreground, and possible needs for support are also discussed.

Furthermore, the participation of the parents is desired and encouraged through open communication. This includes an exchange about change requests, ideas and participation in various committees, such as through the parent representative in the association conference.

There is at least one parents' evening per year for both groups, at which the closing times are determined, new families and trainees are introduced, decisions are made about the continuation of the music project and current topics are discussed. If necessary, further parents' evenings - also within the group - are scheduled.

As a rule, once a year a joint action of parents and staff takes place, which focuses on the renewal and redesign of the garden (e.g. playground equipment, sun awning, replacement of the play sand, etc.). This meeting also provides the framework for a small joint garden party.

Projects

It is important to us that the children in the nursery get to know their surroundings and are given the opportunity to do so, for example, through excursions to the nearby supermarket, the fire brigade, the playground, the railway station, the forest, the ice cream parlour. The focus is on the topics, current needs and the children's world of life by actively involving them.

In the course of the nursery year, the children have the opportunity to participate in jointly designed projects, such as our forest and colour project, which takes place annually if possible. An important feature of our projects is the explorative, discovering and experimental character, in which the problem-solving behaviour of the children is strengthened.

We also like to celebrate our summer festival with everyone every year and our lights festival in autumn.

Overview

The forest bumblebees and the wild weasels are operational crèche groups of the UKGM. Therefore, special admission criteria apply. At least one parent must be employed by the UKGM and have their primary residence in Marburg, or in the district if an exception requires approval. Places are allocated by the family representative of the hospital.

The coordinator of the facility, Antje Smit, is in close contact with her, notifies her of available places and discusses the admission date for the family with her.

Ms Smit then contacts the families and makes an appointment to sign the contract.

The team decides which group the child will be admitted to according to pedagogical aspects and capacities in the facility.

Description and Stations

The bus stop "Blitzweg" of line 8 stops directly at the beginning of the road leading up the hill to our day care centre. From the city centre it is about a 15-minute walk. The train station is also a 15-minute walk away. A car park is available for parents in front of the door. Our facility is located in the immediate vicinity of the dental clinic, neurology and child and adolescent psychiatry. The Lahnberge are about 10 minutes away by car.

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