The Ottendorf-Okrilla After-School Care Center – An Introduction

Dear parents, children, and readers,

At our after-school care center, children from grades 1 to 4 of the Ottendorf-Okrilla Primary School play, laugh, and learn with a professionally diverse team of educators.

We have 8 group-specific rooms on our after-school care floor, as well as 3 classrooms used in shared arrangement. Additionally, we have access to the schoolyard, the gymnasium, the primary school facilities, and the highly sought-after sports field of the secondary school for free play. A special highlight is the use of the nearby Teichwiesen pool during the summer holidays.

We can accommodate and care for up to 220 children.

Our Educational Concept

Our work is based on the Saxon educational curriculum. Holistic development of the children is ensured through the inclusion of different areas of learning. Self-directed learning and independence are highly valued in our institution.

Guiding Principle:

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, let me do it and I understand!”

Here, children can navigate their daily routine independently—with the help of materials, space, and time—understand structural connections, and engage with everyday activities.

Free Play and Community

We place great importance on our sense of group cohesion, which gives children a feeling of belonging and security. During free play, children naturally interact across the after-school care floor and in the after-school care forest.

We take the concept of “free time” very seriously! After a demanding school day, children have the time and space for their own activities—they can relax or engage in physical exercise.

The After-School Forest

Our large and beautiful after-school forest provides a natural environment where children can engage in a variety of physical activities and sensory experiences.

The surroundings, with their natural charm, have a balancing and calming effect in contrast to the high level of daily stimulation. Sensory perception is developed holistically in the forest. Children explore their environment with all their senses: the smell of leaves, flowers, and soil, the growth of plants, observations of beetles, insects, snails, and animal tracks, and the feel of various natural materials. Different needs of the children can coexist here. Furthermore, spending time in nature—regardless of weather—promotes health and strengthens the immune system.

In our beloved after-school forest, children have access to many climbing opportunities, a soccer field, sandboxes, swings, a basketball hoop, a table tennis table, and a small after-school cabin. The trees and shrubs also provide numerous retreat areas for individual play.

Rooms on the After-School Floor

On the after-school floor, children use the large play corridor as a shared activity space. This invites them to participate in sports activities such as billiards, table tennis, chess, climbing on the climbing wall, gymnastics on the mats, reading in the reading corner, and building with large blocks in the building area.

Animal-Assisted Education

Animal-assisted education offers significant benefits for developing social skills.

Currently, a water turtle accompanies the children throughout the day. In another shared group room, there is an aquarium with fish, which the children planned, set up, and now maintain independently.

Additionally, there is an office dog in the management office, which children can visit in small groups during the afternoon. Neutral interaction with animals can positively affect children and provide a calming retreat for those interested.

Animals provide children with a completely different environment where they can regulate themselves and find relaxation through their presence. Interaction with animals enhances children’s self-esteem, develops a sense of responsibility, and teaches new skills related to animal care.

Our Commitment

Our goal is to constantly reflect on our work and adapt it to the current needs of our children—addressing their topics and continuously adjusting our existing structures to their current life situations.

Your After-School Care Team, Ottendorf-Okrilla

Support Our After-School Care Center:

Please use the following link for your purchases to support the after-school care center:

https://www.bildungsspender.de/gs-hort-ottendorf-okrilla

Thank you!