Our Kinderladen ABC

The Kinderladen is open from 6.00 am to 4.30 pm.

Fresh and varied fruit and vegetables are always offered at mealtimes.

Participation means the involvement of children in decision-making processes. The group votes democratically on whether we want to play in the children's store, go outside, visit the garden or the playground. These decisions affect the whole group and the children themselves become effective, learn to represent their opinions and accept a particular decision. Every child has the right to choose their own play partner and play location. The materials and toys are freely accessible or are provided on request.

Our offers and projects take place on a voluntary basis. As far as possible, the children are actively involved in the planning of our daily program and the daily routine.

If you have any questions or special concerns, please contact the nursery team or the management directly. A confidential conversation is often the solution to the problem. It is also possible to address it anonymously with the help of our complaint box in the checkroom area.

The term “project work” refers to dealing with a topic from the children's world. The choice of topic is situation-oriented

The teachers are guided by the children's needs, observations during play, preferences and interests, as well as their questions and comments.

During our project times, the children strengthen their ego competence, social and subject competence, as well as their competence in learning methods.

Our projects are documented for parents and children after completion and can be viewed at any time.

Our Kinderladen currently employs 6 full-time and part-time teachers. They have qualified in different areas. The 25 children are lovingly cared for and supported by 4 state-approved educators, a curative educator with the additional qualification “Specialist educator for integration” and a social education worker in the children's store.

We use various tools to ensure and continuously develop the quality of our childcare center.

Door-to-door talks and a parent questionnaire (every two years) help us to assess the quality of our facility. A “grievance box” located in the checkroom area can also be used to address wishes and concerns anonymously.

Through internal and external training courses, the educators take the opportunity to acquire even more knowledge and current issues of pedagogical life. In team meetings and the internal evaluation, pedagogical content is developed and discussed in order to further develop the quality of the Kinderladen.

In the external evaluation, the pedagogical work on the Berlin Education Program is reviewed by a qualified company and certified at the end. The current situation is recorded at regular intervals and opportunities for improving the educational work are identified.

Our Kinderladen resembles a small forest, which is reflected in the checkroom area. Our (functional) rooms are adapted to the needs of the children and are regularly adapted by the staff according to age. Our facility includes a friendly, bright kitchen area, a roof terrace that can be used for play and activities and an office that can be used for parent meetings and team meetings. Outside, there is a garden for the children to play and explore.

Every 2-3 years, we plan a trip to the outskirts of Berlin for 5 days with the children aged 3 ½ and over.

In the entrance area of the Kinderladen, all children will find the applicable rules in the form of pictograms. These are practiced and internalized with the children.

The teachers at the “Storkower Zauberwäldchen” children's store support the development of language skills in the children by acting as role models. We listen carefully to the children and treat them as equals. The teachers comment on their actions in all situations. For example, they talk to the youngest children when changing their nappies or brushing their teeth after lunch.

In order to recognize the children's preferences and strengths on a linguistic level, the children are observed in everyday life and thus encouraged in their actions.

In addition to everyday language development, which takes place on the side, we use the children's interest in language and train with them without them perceiving this as language training. We use various picture cards (fruit and vegetable cards, professions, animals, objects, etc.) to encourage the children to speak.

Books also play a major role in language development in our children's store.

The Kinderladen is not closed during the summer. There is only a fixed closing time from 23.12. to 01.01. of the following year. The day after Ascension Day is also a fixed closing day. Concept days and other closing days are communicated with the parents' representatives and parents are informed in the current year for the coming year.

“Movement forms the basis for a wide range of learning processes and is a prerequisite for the development of cognitive, emotional, social and language skills. Through movement, children experience themselves and understand their environment. Cognition, emotion and motor skills are closely linked.” - Excerpt from the Berlin Education Program 2014

Our daily schedule can be found on the homepage www.storkower-zauberwaeldchen.de.

With the consent and cooperation of the parents, we can put the youngest children on the potty. The basic prerequisites are interest and a certain understanding of the physical processes on the part of the children. There is no compulsion. Sufficient changes of underwear are required for this process.

Both the children and the teachers have a right to vacation. Vacation is to be entered in the annual vacation planning, which is displayed on the information board, and should also be binding. Every child should have the opportunity to enjoy 10 days of vacation.

The children at the Kinderladen are insured by Unfallkasse Berlin. This applies to accidents on the direct way to the facility, within the facility and during excursions. Accidents can happen!!! If the parents visit a doctor after an accident at the daycare center, please report this to the Kinderladen within 3 days, as the center must report the accident to the Unfallkasse.

Our facility attaches great importance to a healthy, varied and balanced diet. Naturally, cultural eating habits and allergies are taken into consideration. Breakfast and snacks are offered daily and prepared by the teachers.

The food for breakfast and snacks is purchased weekly, alternately by the parents of our children's store. The children's store charges an additional monthly contribution of around €37.00 for breakfast and snacks. There is a catering concept with minimum standards, which is handed out to parents at the start of the daycare center.

Preschool and the learning of important life tasks accompany the children throughout their time at the daycare center. A pencil case is required in the last year of nursery. Preschool offers the children a nurturing environment in which they can develop their individual, social, cognitive and basic motor skills. The aim of preschool in our Kinderladen is to introduce the children to learning at school.

Language is the basic prerequisite for all education. The introduction to mathematical thinking, such as comparing, matching, quantities, shapes, sizes, counting and sorting, takes up a large part of the pre-school work.

All diaper-wearing children are changed at mealtimes and as required. Each child has a diaper changing compartment that is equipped with all the important supplies the child needs (diapers, disposable wipes, wet wipes, care cream). Parents are responsible for the compartments and are responsible for replenishing missing diapers, etc.

The Kinderladen charges an additional fee of €37.00 per month. The following services are included: Breakfast and snacks, craft supplies and the purchase of special gifts/toys. In addition, there is a €23.00 charge for the organic lunch provided by the caterer.

The teachers brush the children's teeth together once a day after breakfast or lunch. Once a year, Kroko - a tooth-cleaning crocodile - comes by and the children learn how to brush their teeth properly with the help of the crocodile, accompanied by music. A dentist also visits every one to two years to check the children's dental status.