Introduction/specifics

Our daycare centre offers a variety of special features that make it a unique place for children's development and learning:

Age mix: We look after children from the age of 1 year to school enrolment. This age mix promotes togetherness and the social skills of the children, as they can learn from each other and support each other. Each child has a fixed caregiver who accompanies them from toddlerhood to the transition to school. This continuity creates trust and security, which is of great importance for the development of the children.

Integrative institution: We are proud to be an integrative institution that offers children with different needs a space where they can feel comfortable and learn together. Inclusion is a central component of our pedagogical work.

Our daycare centre is located on the outskirts of Schwarzenbach, in the middle of nature on the Marienberg. This idyllic location allows the children to experience nature up close and promotes a nature-oriented pedagogy.

Rooms

Welcome to our daycare centre!

In our spacious, bright group room, we offer a loving and stimulating environment that is specially tailored to the needs of the children. In our spacious, bright group room, we offer a loving and stimulating environment that is specially tailored to the needs of the children. Our various play corners invite children to develop their creativity and curiosity.

Our areas at a glance:

- Role play: Here the children can slip into different roles and develop their social skills in a playful way.

- Building corner: In the building corner, we promote the children's motor skills and creativity by building and constructing with various natural materials and building blocks.

- Research area: This area stimulates curiosity and invites children to discover and explore the world around them, the children's mathematical and scientific skills are playfully in the foreground.

- Retreat in our cuddle corner: A quiet place where the children can relax and unwind their thoughts, look at picture books and read stories.

- Creative area: Here the children can paint, do handicrafts and let their imagination run wild, we always offer the children creative incentives and discover our nature and environment through various materials.

- Car corner: In the car corner, children can train their motor skills and have a lot of fun at the same time.

- Gym with climbing facilities: Our gym is a place for exercise and play. It is equipped with various climbing options that promote the children's motor skills and give them the opportunity to let off steam. Here the children can test their skill and courage.

- Our dining area offers a welcoming atmosphere where the children can eat together and exchange ideas. Here we attach great importance to a balanced diet and the promotion of social skills during meals. A small kitchenette offers the opportunity to prepare food together with the children for the common snack, to bake cakes for special occasions or to bake cookies during the Christmas season.

- Changing room: Our changing room is designed in a friendly and functional way to meet the needs of younger children. Here we provide a pleasant and hygienic environment in which the children feel comfortable.

- Toilets: The toilets are equipped for children and are easily accessible. We attach great importance to cleanliness and hygiene to make the children feel safe.

- Wardrobe: In the cloakroom, children have enough space to store their jackets and personal belongings. Here they also learn to take responsibility for their things.

Our premises are designed to provide a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment for children.

Our rooms act as a "third educator" and are regularly adapted to the needs of the children. In addition, we regularly replace the toys in order to always offer new incentives and challenges.

Our room acts as a "third educator" and is regularly adapted to the needs of the children. In addition, we regularly replace the toys in order to always offer new incentives and challenges.

We look forward to welcoming your child to our daycare center and spending an exciting and instructive time together!

Outdoor Facilities

Our outdoor facilities – a play paradise for little explorers In our daycare centre, a spacious and lovingly designed garden awaits the children, which offers numerous opportunities for play and discovery. Our large sandpit invites the children to give free rein to their creativity. Here they can dig, build and create imaginative sandcastles together.

Climbing and sliding opportunities promote children's motor skills and at the same time offer a lot of fun and adventure. The children can test their dexterity and courage while letting off steam in a safe environment.

The garden is surrounded by beautiful trees that not only provide shade, but also serve as places to play and discover. Here the children can experience nature up close, observe animals and perceive the different seasons with all their senses. 

A special highlight is our own raised bed, where the children can grow vegetables and fruit together. This not only promotes awareness of healthy eating, but also an understanding of nature and the life cycle of plants. The children learn to take responsibility and discover the joy of gardening. Our garden is a place of learning, playing and discovering that encourages children to be active and explore nature. We look forward to experiencing many outdoor adventures together with the children!

Daily Schedule

Daily routine in our daycare center:

Our daily routine is designed to meet the needs and rhythm of the children. Here is an overview of our structured daily routine:

- 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.: Drop-off time: The children are warmly welcomed at the facility. During this time, parents have the opportunity to drop off their children in peace and quiet and exchange ideas with the educators.

- 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.: Breakfast: Together we enjoy a healthy breakfast that gives the children energy for the day. We attach great importance to a balanced diet.

- 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.: Morning circle: In the morning circle we discuss the daily routine, sing songs and strengthen the sense of community. This is also a good opportunity to involve the children in the planning of the day.

- 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.: Free play time, garden time and educational activities: During this time, the children can play independently, explore the garden or participate in various educational activities. In doing so, we promote the creativity and independence of the children.

- 11:00 - 11:15 a.m.: Closing circle: In the closing circle we reflect on the morning, share experiences and prepare for lunch.

- 11:15 - 11:45 a.m.: Lunch: Together we enjoy a warm lunch, freshly prepared by the country inn in Helmbrechts and delivered to us. We attach great importance to healthy and varied food.

- 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Nap as needed: The children have the opportunity to rest or sleep. We adapt individually to the needs of the children – no child has to sleep. For the children who do not want to sleep, we offer quiet activities.

- Until 2:00 PM: Pick-up time: Pick-up time is flexible so that parents can pick up their children as needed.

At the moment, our opening hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If necessary, these can also be expanded and adapted. We look forward to accompanying your child in our daycare centre and creating a varied and loving everyday life together!

Food

In our daycare center, breakfast is an important part of the day, which not only promotes the health of the children, but also strengthens the sense of community. Each child brings a balanced breakfast in a lunch box. We ask that you avoid sweets and plastic-wrapped foods to support a healthy diet.

Once a week, every Wednesday, we receive fresh organic fruit and milk as part of the EU's school fruit programme. This complements breakfast and ensures that the children are provided with healthy snacks.

Snack together: Every Thursday we prepare a delicious breakfast together. The children have the opportunity to learn about new foods and discover their preferences. In the process, they not only learn how to prepare a meal together, but also the value of a healthy diet. By having breakfast together, we not only promote the children's social skills, but also their curiosity about new tastes and foods. We look forward to experiencing a healthy and enjoyable breakfast time together with the children!

In our daycare centre, we attach great importance to a healthy and balanced diet. That's why our lunch is delivered fresh every day from the Landgasthof Helmbrechts. The food is prepared with high-quality, fresh ingredients to provide the children with a varied and tasty meal. Our menu is carefully designed to meet children's nutritional needs and give them the energy they need for an active day. We make sure that the meals are both healthy and delicious so that the children eat with joy. Enjoy your meal!

We offer the children tea, water or milk as drinks. The children can help themselves independently at our beverage station at any time.

Basics

Our daycare centre is supported by the Diakonie Hochfranken, a committed provider that is dedicated to supporting children and families in the region. Diakonie Hochfranken stands for values such as charity, respect and community and brings these principles into our daily work. Our sponsor attaches great importance to the quality of care and education. Through regular training and further education of our specialists, we ensure that the latest pedagogical approaches and methods are implemented in our facility. With the support of Diakonie Hochfranken, we can respond to the individual needs of each child and create an environment in which all children feel comfortable and can develop optimally. Our sponsor is not only involved in daycare centre work, but also in many other social areas. This promotes an awareness of social responsibility and a sense of community, which we also apply to the children want to pass on. The close cooperation with Diakonie Hochfranken enables us to draw on a strong network that supports families in different life situations. We are in contact with other institutions and professionals to ensure the best possible support for the children and their families. Together we create a loving and nurturing environment in which children can develop and grow!

We select the "icing on the cake" of different pedagogical approaches to ensure the best possible support for the children. This includes elements from Montessori and Waldorf education as well as needs-oriented and nature-oriented approaches.

Work with sheep: In the vicinity of our facility we have the opportunity to work with sheep. This not only offers the children an exciting experience, but also promotes respectful treatment of animals and responsibility for nature.

Holistic support: Our approach is holistic, which means that we support the children in their entire personality – emotionally, socially, cognitively and motorically.

Employee

In our daycare centre at Marienberg, we work with a motivated and loving team that is passionately committed to the well-being and development of the children. Each team member brings their individual strengths and experiences to create a harmonious and conducive environment.

Our management is an experienced specialist who does not work directly in the group, but is responsible for the organisation and coordination of processes in the administration building at Marienberg. She ensures that all processes run smoothly and provides the team with advice and support. Their vision and commitment contribute significantly to the positive atmosphere in our facility.

In addition, two part-time educators (20 hours per week) and a nanny with 30 hours a week currently work in our daycare centre. They bring a lot of creativity and empathy to their work and make the children's everyday life varied and exciting. With their loving nature, they create a trusting relationship with the children and promote their individual development. They have an open ear for the needs of the children and support them in their play and learning.

Our cleaner ensures that our premises are always clean and inviting.

Our small caretaker team takes care of the maintenance and care of the facility. They are always on hand when it comes to carrying out small repairs or maintaining the outdoor facilities.

Projects

In our nursery, we attach great importance to the holistic support of the children through creative and stimulating project work. In doing so, we orient ourselves on various topics that concern the annual cycle, Christian festivals as well as areas from the child's environment or needs.

Some examples include:

We explore the different seasons with the children through creative crafts, songs and stories. We go on excursions into nature to observe the changes over the course of the year. The children collect leaves, flowers and other natural materials, which they then use in creative work.

Christian festivals:

Project "Advent and Christmas": In the run-up to Christmas, we design the group room together, make gifts and learn songs. The children learn the meaning of Christmas and celebrate a festival together where they can share their anticipation.

Discover Easter: We deal with the customs around Easter, design Easter eggs and carry out an Easter egg hunt. In the process, the children learn about the symbolism of Easter and the meaning of the festival.

Project "The Color Monsters": Inspired by the children's book "The Color Monsters", we explore the different feelings associated with colours together with the children. Each child designs their own colour monster and expresses their feelings.

Discover colours: We conduct experiments with colours, mix colours, and create a large community image that represents the different colours and their meanings.

Project "The Little We": Based on the children's book "The Little We", we work on topics such as community, friendship and cohesion. The children create a small "we" out of papier-mâché and we look at picture books or stories, among other things, with our table theatre (also called "Kamishibai"). In the process, they learn how important cooperation and mutual support are.

These project works offer the children the opportunity to learn through play, to live out their creativity and to develop important social skills.

Overview

Admission of children: from 1 year.

Our catchment area refers primarily to all children of the city of Schwarzenbach an der Saale and the surrounding 
Villages.

Description and Stations

Our daycare centre is located in an idyllic location on the Marienberg, at Marienstraße 50 in Schwarzenbach an der Saale. The daycare centre is easy to reach by car. There are plenty of parking spaces available, so that dropping off and picking up the children can be made convenient and stress-free. Public transport: For families using public transport, our facility is also ideally located. The train station in Schwarzenbach is within walking distance, which makes it easy to get there. There is also a bus stop nearby, which offers additional connections.