The after-school-care-center Ottendorf-Okrilla introduces itself!

Dear parents, dear children, dear readers,

in our after-school care center play, laugh and learn children in grades 1 to 4 of the Ottendorf-Okrilla elementary school  with a broad team of educators.

We have 8 group rooms on our daycare floor as well as 3 double-use classrooms.

In addition, we can use the schoolyard, the gym and rooms at the elementary school and the highly sought-after sports field at the high school for free play time. The absolute highlight is that during the summer holidays, when the weather is nice, we can use the Teichwiesenbad, which is easily accessible on foot.

We can accommodate and look after up to 220 children. Our educational concept is based on the Saxon education plan. The holistic support of children is guaranteed by the inclusion of different educational areas. Self-education and independence have great value in our institution.

True to our mission statement:

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

the children can independently - with the help of material, space and time - find their way around everyday life, understand structural connections and deal with everyday things.

We attach great importance to our group bond, which gives the children a sense of belonging and security. In free play, the children then mingle naturally over the after-school care days and in the after-school care forest.

We take the word "leisure" very seriously! After a strenuous day of lessons, the children have the time and space for their individual leisure activities at their disposal - they can relax or work out in sports.

Our huge, beautiful after-school forest offers a natural environment in which a wide variety of movement options and sensory experiences can be had.

The surroundings with their natural charm have a balancing and calming effect in contrast to the great stimulation of everyday life. Sensory perception is developed holistically in the forest. The children explore their environment with all their senses: smelling the leaves, flowers and soil, growing plants, observing beetles, insects, snails and animal tracks and feeling the different natural materials. The different needs of children can coexist. In addition, spending time in nature - regardless of the weather - promotes health and strengthens the immune system. In our beloved after-school forest, the children have many climbing opportunities, a soccer field, sandpits, swings, a basketball hoop, table tennis table and a after-school hut. The trees and bushes give the children plenty of opportunities to retreat and play individually.

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

A heart for animals: We see a great advantage for the development of social skills in animal-assisted pedagogy. A water turtle currently accompanies the children's everyday lives. In another group room, the children are currently planning an aquarium with fish. We are also currently examining the extent to which an office dog (or a therapy dog) can be integrated into the facility in order to have a positive influence on the children's development and to offer interested children a calming retreat.

The animals offer children a completely different environment in which to regulate themselves and find relaxation through their presence. Dealing with animals increases children's self-esteem and develops a sense of responsibility and new skills about animal husbandry.

Our goal is to reflect on our work at all times and adapt it to the current needs of our children - to address their subject areas and to continually review our existing structures based on the children's current life situations.