Introduction/specifics

Our daycare center is located in a residential building on Eselsberg. It is situated below the “Virchowstraße” bus stop, which you can reach by taking bus line 5. Right next door are a Rewe supermarket and the Maria-Sibylla-Merian Elementary School. Eselsberg has numerous playgrounds and is close to forests and meadows, which we enjoy visiting with the children.

We care for children from age 2 until they start school and have a total of 44 spots available. Our center has reduced opening hours, so we offer Module 2, with care hours daily from 7:25 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Rooms

The facility uses an open-concept layout that allows children to act independently, explore, and pursue their own interests. Various activity rooms support different learning processes:

Building Area:

Here, children can create, build, and bring their own ideas to life, which helps develop their imagination, fine motor skills, and spatial reasoning.

Creative and Quiet Area:

A place where children can be creative, explore their senses, unwind, and strengthen their concentration and perception.

Role-Play Room:

Here, children can take on different roles, reenact everyday situations, and further develop their imagination, language, and social skills.

Movement Room:

Here, children have the opportunity to experiment, satisfy their urge to move, and playfully strengthen their motor skills, body awareness, and self-confidence.

Outdoor Facilities

Our daycare center has a patio. There, the children can ride various toy vehicles, draw with chalk, and eat outside in the summer. Below the patio is our garden, which has a sandbox and a playhouse.

Daily Schedule

The day at our center follows a reliable structure while also giving the children room for self-directed activities. Structured activities alternate with open-ended periods during which children can pursue their own interests.

7:25–9:00 a.m.: Drop-off and Arrival

During this time, the children have the opportunity to settle in through free play or have breakfast.

9:30–10:00 a.m.: Morning Circle

On Mondays, we hold one large group circle, and on the rest of the week, two smaller circles. During the morning circle, we sing songs, play games, and discuss topics and projects.

10:00–11:30 a.m.: Free Play, Lunch, Field Trips

During this time, the children are free to occupy themselves independently and explore their interests and topics. We like to use this time for field trips.

11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Quiet Time

During quiet time, the children can choose between two quiet activities. We offer different activities every day.

12:00–12:30 p.m.: Last chance to eat

The children have the opportunity to eat from their lunchboxes one last time.

12:30–2:00 p.m.: Free play and pickup time

We like to spend the last hour in the garden, where the children are picked up one by one.

Food

Children are welcome to come to our kitchen for a meal every day from 7:25 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; a staff member is always on duty there.

We do not offer a hot lunch; the children simply bring their own lunchboxes. Through our participation in the state’s School Fruit and School Milk program, we are able to offer the children fresh fruit, yogurt, and milk every day.

Once a month, we cook together with the children. The children get to vote on what to make.

Basics

The foundations of educational work in the city’s childcare centres are:

• The ‘infans’ action plan for early childhood education

• The revised guidance framework for childcare centres and home-based childcare in Baden-Württemberg

“The child is the architect of their own development.”

Quote from Maria Montessori – educational reformer

The City of Ulm incorporates this fundamental educational principle into its childcare centres and, through the ‘infans’ action plan for early childhood education, places the children’s individual learning processes at the centre of its approach.

Key elements of the approach:

The educational staff observe and reflect on what is important to each individual child and which topics are currently engaging the child. These observations are documented in the child’s portfolio. Based on this, the staff develop individual challenges for each child in line with their educational interests and learning themes. In this way, the child is supported in their learning process.

The team at the childcare centre draws up educational objectives and incorporates them into their pedagogical practice. In this way, cultural considerations, as well as the concerns of the provider, the parents and the staff, are also conveyed to the children. 4 The observations and educational objectives form the basis of the pedagogical work.

Further information can be found at www.infans.de.

Based on the ‘infans’ action plan for early years education, the orientation plan is implemented to a high professional standard. Within the open-plan layout, the children have access to the entire building with all its stimulatingly designed functional rooms and learning areas. Open access to all rooms enables the children to explore their own topics and interests in a targeted manner.

This provides the children with an optimal learning environment in which they can experience a sense of community and develop a love of learning.

Allhough the educational principles are the same across all centres, each centre has its own distinct profile.

Quality Assurance

The continuous development of our educational work is a key priority for us. Weekly team meetings provide an opportunity for professional discussion, reflection on educational practice and joint development. Existing processes are regularly reviewed and adapted to meet the needs of the children and families.

In addition, our staff regularly take part in further training and professional development as part of the municipal qualification programme.

Teamwork with school

A key part of our work is our close partnership with the Ulmer Spatz Educational Centre. The transition from nursery to primary school is a significant step in a child’s life – one that we aim to make as positive and supportive as possible, working together with the school. Through this partnership, we aim to ensure that every child starts this new phase of their life well prepared and receives the appropriate support at an early stage should individual needs arise.

A liaison teacher is an integral part of this partnership. The following activities take place as part of the partnership:

• Supporting the transition from nursery to primary school
• Exchange of information and consultation with the nursery
• Conducting work shadowing sessions and activities at the nursery
• School visits for pre-school children

Teamwork with parents

Working closely with families is very important to us. We see supporting the children as a shared responsibility – and therefore maintain an open and regular dialogue with parents. Casual chats in the course of the day, as well as regular development meetings, give parents an ongoing insight into their child’s development.

Once a year, we hold a parents’ evening to discuss current issues and provide information about the nursery. In addition, we invite families to play an active role in shaping life at the nursery – whether at parties or during special events such as Storytelling Day.

The Parents’ Council plays a vital role as a link between parents and the nursery. Concerns, requests and organisational matters are discussed together at regular meetings.

Description and Stations

Our daycare center is located in a residential building on Eselsberg. It is situated below the “Virchowstraße” bus stop, which you can reach by taking bus line 5. Right next to it are a Rewe supermarket and the Maria-Sibylla-Merian Elementary School. You can also reach our center by car. There are plenty of parking spaces around the daycare center.