Introduction/specifics

Who we are

Up to 75 children play and learn in our daycare center every day.

They are accompanied, supported, challenged and encouraged in their daily lives by a total of 15 pedagogical specialists.

At present, the daycare children are cared for in an open concept in four groups and the crèche children are cared for in a closed group:

In the time from 07:45 - 12:45

•     Sun group (integration group)
•     Rainbow group (cross-age group)

In the time from 07:45 - 15:45

•     Star group
•     Cloud nest (crèche)

Daily Schedule

The daily routine of the Kita St. Franziskus Schöninghsdorf begins with the arrival phase. The children who do not attend marginal times (7:15 - 7:45 a.m.) can come to the daycare center from 7:45 a.m. on. Here they first put on their slippers and hang their bag and jacket on their checkroom sign. After being greeted by the group teachers, the children can move on to the free play phase. By 8:30 a.m., all children should have been brought in.

At about 9:00 a.m., the morning circle takes place within the groups. Here, the children are introduced to the day's activities and are allowed to decide for themselves whether and in which activities they will participate.

After the morning circle, all groups meet in the movement room for the "big morning circle". Here, a welcome song is sung, birthday children are honored, and finally, all open questions about the activities are discussed. Afterwards, the free play phase can begin.

Throughout the morning, the children have the opportunity to choose the time of their breakfast. Our open café is available for this purpose.

Starting at 12:00 p.m., the children clean up. The children then go to their home groups until 12:45 p.m. for the final circle.

In the pick-up phase, the morning children are picked up punctually between 12:30 and 12:45. The full-day children prepare for lunch.

After lunch, the all-day group offers various activities and the opportunity for free play. Until they are then picked up at 14:00 or between 15:30 - 15:45.

Basics

"A house can only be as open as the people who work in it ...!

Open work is more than a pedagogical concept and even more than a modified room concept. It is a basic attitude towards living together - especially when working with children.

At its core, it is about changing the relationship between children and adults. It is about reflecting and adjusting the power relationship. It is about following the children's tracks and not working against their impulses, but with them. It is about offering children a place of joy and adventure, where they find food for their curiosity, opportunities to test their courage and meet adults who have time for them. It is equally about social responsibility - as part of personal freedom.
 
Open work means:

1. To open up to an image of the child who becomes active himself, who transforms fantasies and ideas into work tasks and is thus, "actor of his development" or "master builder of himself".
2. Open up to a "following pedagogy" in which the child leads the way and the educator follows. The educator does not try to influence the child's actions and conversations. The educator is the person who makes offers to the child and thus creates the possibility to work, learn and develop on the basis of strengths. The basis of open work is a pedagogy that allows the children a high degree of autonomy (self-determination), of reflection (self-reflection, reflection of what is happening/situation) and of communication (linguistic discussion).
3. Saying goodbye to the individualized work of the educator in her group. The work of the educator is opened up to intensive teamwork, to joint responsibility for the concept, to cooperation with all colleagues, and also to setting priorities that correspond to one's own abilities, skills, qualifications acquired in training and further education, and inclinations and interests.
4. Open work is oriented towards an image of the educator who is an expert in pedagogical work with children of preschool age, who observes the children and can recognize their level of interest, development and ability, who plans didactically well thought-out, supportive offers for the children and implements them together with the children, who is an expert in education and therefore also deserves a corresponding image.
5. Open work is the opening of the facility, in which the various rooms are equipped and designed differently, in which the educators can set accents - according to their abilities and possibilities, in which the children are given decisive self-determination regarding their activities and the question of assignment to learning and play groups.
6. Open work is the clear separation between free play, in which the children can play what/when/where and with whom they want.

The combination of a home group and the simultaneous offer to use the entire house meets the children's needs for security, safety and orientation on the one hand, and freedom, movement and the joy of discovery on the other.

Further offers of our facility:

• Religious education   
• Project work
• Stimulating places of learning
  • Building area
  • Quiet island
  • Numbers, words and learning workshop
  • Role play and theater area
  • Creative area
  • The café
  • Outdoor area/playground
  • Movement room
• Documentation work
  • "Growing and maturing
  • Portfolio
  • SISMIK and SELDAK (children in the bridge year)
• Children's council (participation)
• Cooperation with the elementary school
  • Intensive preschool work
• Integrative work
• Language daycare center
• Cooperation with therapists
  • Speech therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Early support

Cooperations

Cooperation with other institutions is an important factor of pedagogical quality. Our kindergarten is embedded in a network of institutions that deal with children - locally as well as supra-locally.

There are arrangements, mutual support and contacts

• to the church community as sponsor
• the political community
• the family center
• to other kindergartens
• to the elementary school
• to technical schools
• to the district (integration, bridge year, youth welfare office)
• to counseling centers, early intervention and therapists
• doctors (interdisciplinary discussions)
• meetings with religious pedagogical specialists
• Regional concept

Family center

In the community of Twist, there is already a good infrastructure of facilities and offers for the care and education of children through the day care centers and elementary schools. In order to ensure the conditions for a better compatibility of family and work, the Twist Family Center, in cooperation with the Twist day care centers, schools, regional educational and counseling institutions, offers the following modules:

• Day care/mediation
• Vacation care
• Volunteer work/multi-generational meetings
• Flexible childcare options
• Counseling services for families
• Educational offers for families

Contact person:
Sandra Robbe, Tel.: 05936-919720, familienzentrum@twist-emsland.de
For more information, including our work, visit www.twist-emsland.de

Franziskus School

In June 2007, the elementary school and kindergarten signed a joint cooperation agreement. The representatives of the cooperation are the kindergarten and school management. They agree to schedule upcoming activities, make arrangements and delegate tasks.

Our contract includes the following possibilities of cooperation:

• mutual information and agreement on goals, tasks and working methods
• regular exchange about questions of transition
• joint projects, parents' evenings, events and school units
• joint trainings
• agreement on play and learning materials

Teamwork with parents

The St. Franziskus daycare center is a family-supplementing institution. In the context of the care, education and upbringing of the children, parental work is indispensable. Parents are the first reference persons in the social and emotional environment and thus formative for the children. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the pedagogical work depends on their cooperation.

The first contact is made at the information evening about the day care center. After a 6 to 8 week settling-in period, the first parent meeting takes place. Developmental discussions are held annually on the child's birthday.

The door-to-door talks, which take place daily, are important in order to understand the child's situation and current situation. In addition, parents have the opportunity at any time to inform themselves about the current state of development.

We offer parents' evenings at regular intervals. The content of these meetings is usually based on the interests of the parents, teachers or current events.

Furthermore, the parents have the opportunity to observe. They take part in the everyday life of the children and get to know them in a different way. Afterwards, an exchange discussion with the reference teacher can take place.

Furthermore, the parents elect a parents' council once a year. It has a supporting, co-responsible function with regard to the work of the daycare center.  The parents' council is involved in decisions or can discuss topics on its own.