In our job the children take center stage. We orient ourselves to their age groups, their experiences, interests, and needs. We learn to recognize what is important for the children at any given moment by observing them.
We offer the children a place outside of their familiar home environment, where they can gain valuable experience within the sheltered context of their own group. Their social skills are developed further, they learn to become independent, to overcome their fears and to develop their self-confidence and individual capabilities.
The children are looked after by at least two native-speaking caregivers, who in addition to their regular qualifications are also trained in gestalt pedagogy.
It is very important to us that the children grow up and become joyful, self-confident people.
We see the integration of the artistic areas as an important building block in the personal development of a child. Finding access to one’s artistic abilities and developing them helps later, for example, in finding creative solutions.
Our art project is specifically guided by art teachers. In the artistic works, your children can try out their ideas and live out their fantasies. They learn how to express themselves artistically. The focus is on the joy of creative work and experimenting with different materials and colours.
Our music project is also implemented by native-speaking, professionally trained music teachers. Early music education teaches the children to enjoy singing, dancing and making music. In addition to the usual instruments, they also get to know more specialised instruments such as the pan flute or double bass.
Computers belong to our world like grass belongs to the meadows and in most instances are already firmly integrated into family life. Our staff members, who regularly improve their computer skills in Bits21 courses, show the children that you can do a lot more with computers than just play games (as older siblings do) or write texts (as parents do). Children aged four upwards can participate in a “computer course” once a week.
The children can be introduced to computers and technology in a manner appropriate to children in our specially-built computer area.
We regularly go on excursions to explore the city and especially nature. This is a special experience especially for “city children”. We pay attention to a considerate treatment of nature. By visiting children’s theatres or museums, we want to encourage your children to enjoy art and culture.
Incidentally, your children will learn how to move safely in traffic and how to use public transport.
Cultural learning also takes place in the kindergarten.
For example, it is important to us that we learn about and celebrate the different festivals of Spanish, English and German origin with all our children. This is how your children learn and live intercultural competence.
The children are provided with either a Spanish/German or English/German bilingual educational setting to nurture and foster their linguistic development.
We work according to the principle of “one person, one language” which means that each staff member speaks his/her native language. The different languages are thus spoken and acquired alongside each other in a fully equitable manner.
Language acquisition is enhanced in the specific partner language (Spanish or English) in an additional early music education program. The children thus learn the languages offered in our day care in a playful and joyful (“alegría”) manner. Our focus lies on the Spanish/German and the English/German cultures, however children from other cultural backgrounds are naturally welcome to join us.
Language communicates more than just words.
The transition to primary school is an important phase in your children’s lives. We prepare your children for their transition to school by teaching them various skills. These include social learning, but also fine motor skills. In addition, we offer a pre-school programme in German, Spanish or English in the World Explorer Room. Our projects in the areas of art, music and media also serve as preparation for primary school.
To further promote your children’s self-confidence, we offer overnight stays at the kindergarten. This and also subsequent children’s trips give your children the opportunity to experience separation from their parents in a familiar group. We pay special attention to the individual guidance of the children so as not to overtax them. These experiences promote the individual child, but also the cohesion in a group. Especially the children who then attend primary school are united by this experience.
To promote the transparency of our work, we provide information for parents through postings on the bulletin board, regular meetings in the evening with parents, personal talks with parents, and letters to all parents.
We regularly hold parent-caregiver meetings in the evening where we keep the parents up-to-date with the achievements in the groups and their child’s development. If necessary, we can also arrange an individual meeting with the caregiver(s).
Special project days give parents the chance to show off their creativeness at the day care.
The kindergarten is open daily from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm.
© 2022 All rights reserved. Alegría Kiga gGmbH
