Daily Routine
Working hours and daily routine
The working hours of our day care are from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. It is closed for three weeks during the summer holidays and between Christmas and New Year’s. Parents will be informed about all the closure days in advance, this information will also be updated on our website on the Events page.
The daily routine of the children at our day care center is structured and planned. It supports children to get accustomed and integrate into the new surroundings. We are mindful of a composed, continuous and easy to grasp daily routine. That way, we not only ensure the requirements of education for our children but also create the necessary freedom for the development of individual talents and personality.
We are gradually developing the routines for all of the groups in our day care further. It is important to us that alongside free play, there is sufficient time for our creativity offers for the children. For example, children can experiment with various learning materials in our ‘Exploration-Room’, in the workshop, during a creativity course, etc. At our day care center, the sky is the limit for exploring, learning and growing.
A typical day in our day care center is usually structured as follows:
Forenoon:
6:30 – 8:00 a.m.: Children’s care will take place in the group room with the early shift educators.
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.: Time for breakfast in all age-groups. Here, children can eat together. Breakfast is prepared in our own kitchen. Children who have already eaten can attend our playgroup.
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Greetings will begin in each group. The respective educators will greet the children in German and English. By 9:00 a.m. we expect all the children to arrive in their respective groups, settle in and be ready for the day.
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.: Each group will begin their morning circle in German and English as well as the native languages of our diverse, international group of children and educators. Together, the children get ready for the day, learn while having fun and interacting with each other.
9:15 – 11:00 a.m.: According to the respective age groups, free play, physical activity offers (indoors + outdoors) or the pedagogical offers will take place.
Each educator will be assigned the creativity area(s) based upon their interests, strengths and experience. For special offers like sports and music, we work together with experts that we bring into our day care center. Through that, we can provide a high quality of education and 360-degree exposure.
These age-specific offers are an integral part of the daily routine.
Additionally, various national and international celebrations will take place throughout the year. Our summer party is an important event for us and we celebrate it together with the parents.
11:00 – 11:30 a.m.: Lunchtime
Afternoon:
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon: Preparation for a rest period
12:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Midday rest
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.: Snack time. Snacks are prepared in our kitchen
2:30 – 4:30 p.m.: Free play / outdoor play / games / Free activities. The children are given free play time.
4:30 – 5:00 p.m.: All the children whose parents come for a late pick up will be shifted to the late group. These children will be constantly supervised by late shift educators
5:00 p.m.: Closing time
Healthy diet
We provide high quality, sugar-free organic food to our children. Breakfast and snacks are prepared in our own kitchen by professional chefs. They make sure that children are served with a wholesome and a healthy diet. We have arranged with an external catering service to provide lunch. Our caterer is committed to using at least 40% of organic ingredients. In all our facilities, we follow a strict sugar-free diet worked out together between the parents and pedagogues. A healthy mix of fruits and vegetables are provided to the children. Also, sufficient beverages are readily available the entire day.
Collaboration with parents
We treat parents as our partners with regards to the education, growth, development and care of their children. They are involved in relevant pedagogic decisions and implementations and are not limited to just the involvement in the parent representation and the day care committee. The pedagogues and parents have regular conversations on the child’s progress and collectively design a familial and institutional educational work for the betterment of the child.
Settling in and transitions
Familiarisation with the day care center is a vital stage of development for every child. It is the foundation for adapting the new surroundings and lifestyle. We know that every child is unique and that this phase is challenging for the parents as well. Therefore, we have initiated a familiarization process of the crèche children through the participation in the playgroup or in the garden. It will help to break the ice between children, educators and parents. The procedure of ‘Settling in’ will be discussed in detail with parents on a one-to-one basis. The settling phase is tailor-made for each child. We are flexible and adjust the settling-in phase for each child as per the needs and requirements. The average settling-in period lasts between two and six weeks.
We have divided the age-specific groups into three categories mentioned below:
Under 3 (U3):
The U3 or the crèche group accommodates children from 1 to 3 years of age.
Elementary group:
The Ü3 or the Elementary group accommodates children from 3 to 5 years of age. Children between the age of three and five get shifted from Crèche to Elementary group within the day care center. The Elementary group is designed homogeneously according to the date of school enrolment. This transition is organized and mentored by the “old” and “new” educators.
Pre-School
Subsequently, to the last year of day care, the children will enroll in th Preschool group. We prepare the children of this group for a smooth transition from day care to school. We aim to make them ‘school ready’. We prepare our children intensively for the classes at our primary school. Based on a weekly schedule, we teach the children the important skills for school through our creativity-areas. They are accompanied throughout by their educators and creativity-pedagogues of our primary school. Our preschoolers visit the school regularly to get to know the pedagogues, students and school-life better. We prepare them for handling the challenges of the first year of the school from the very first day. This transition will be mentored by the present educators in close cooperation with the school staff and primary school children.