Our WorkEvery weekday, between 10 and 12 children are cared for by our childcare staff. If necessary, we can also offer childcare on Saturdays if an emergency arises, and we can also take in children under the age of 12 months in special cases. The latter depends on the size and make up of the group at the time.As a rule, the children at 'Zwergenstübchen' spend a relatively short amount of time in our care (approximately 2 hours per day) compared with other day care centres. Because 'Zwergenstübchen' does not have a fixed group of regular children, the time the children spend with us varies and new children join us all the time. These factors mean that our childcare staff need to be especially dedicated and flexible. Because of the relatively short time the children spend in our care – some for just two hours each day, others only one day a week – it is very important that we establish a relationship built on trust with each child. This can only occur when parents are willing to “let go” of their child. Only then can the child accept the childcare worker as a significant caregiver.The individual needs of each child is our focus. At 'Zwergenstübchen' even the youngest children are given the opportunity to interact with their peers and establish social contacts. Our Goals
The children’s large motor skills are stimulated by means of targeted grasping, crawling and walking exercises, with consideration for each child’s individual stage of development. We stimulate the fine motor skills by means of finger games, games with shapes, finger painting sessions and many more activities. Painting especially promotes the awareness of the group and encourages children to come up with solutions together and develop projects and ideas as a group. Working with the Parents If anything becomes conspicuous, whether from a physiological or psychological aspect, we try to engage the parents in a discussion and advise on the best solution. An open and trusting basis for the cooperation with parents builds the foundation for optimal care of the child. Mothers often suffer from pangs of conscience when they bring a child to our centre, even if the child is not staying for long. This often results in a lack of trust on the part of the parents in the the ability of their child to adapt to a new environment. Other parents may over-estimate the maturity of their child. Both situations illustrate how important the parent-teacher discussion is. The childcare staff as well as the parents find this challenging. The parents can learn to deal with their emergency situation (which also affects the child) together with the trained childcare staff. We invite parents to express their wishes and ideas. We do reserve the right, however, to make decisions about encouraging individual children and giving them tasks and activities in the course of the day. |
