Introduction/specifics

Our nursery is situated in a residential area between Weststadt and Ulm city centre, on the site of the former Magirushof. We look after children aged 3 to 6 and offer a total of 68 places – 28 in Group 1 and 40 across Groups 3 and 6.

Many of our children live in the immediate vicinity. The centre is easily accessible by public transport via the nearby Ehinger Tor. The proximity to green spaces, playgrounds and the River Danube gives us the opportunity for walks and outings in nature. The city library, the cathedral and the weekly market are also within easy reach and are occasional destinations for visits.

Our childcare hours

We offer a range of childcare packages to ensure there is a suitable solution for every family. Within the specified childcare hours, parents are free to collect their children earlier – it is not necessary to use up all the allocated hours.

Childcare package 1

Monday to Friday: 07:30 – 13:00

Hours per week: 27.5 hours

Care package 3

Monday to Thursday: 07:30 – 15:30

Friday: 07:30 – 13:00

Hours per week: 37.5 hours – including lunch

Care package 6

Monday to Thursday: 06:30 – 17:00

Friday: 06:30 – 16:00

Hours per week: 51.5 hours – including lunch

Rooms

The centre operates with an open-plan layout that enables children to act independently, explore and pursue their own interests. Various activity areas support a wide range of learning processes:

In the Building Zone, children build, construct and experiment – developing spatial awareness, problem-solving skills and fine motor skills in the process.

The Creative Zone invites children to paint, craft, weave and design, offering space for aesthetic education and creative expression.

In the Sound World, children experience singing and making music together, discover rhythm and sound, and in doing so strengthen their musical, linguistic and social skills.

The Movement World offers obstacle courses, movement games and psychomotor activities, supporting motor development and a love of movement.

The Thinking World features books, board games, puzzles and other play options that promote linguistic, cognitive and social skills.

The Fantasy World gives children the opportunity to re-enact everyday situations, take on roles and further develop social, emotional and linguistic skills through free play.

The outdoor area complements the indoor spaces: despite its central location, our garden offers a wide range of opportunities for physical activity and free play. Climbing, balancing, and sand and water play promote motor skills, creativity, social interaction and independence

Daily Schedule

The day at our centre follows a reliable structure whilst also giving the children space for independent activity. Fixed activities alternate with open periods during which children can pursue their own interests. 

6.30 – 9.00 am

Drop-off & arrival – The children are welcomed in a calm atmosphere and can start free play straight away.

7.00 – 10.30 am

Breakfast – Breakfast takes place on a flexible schedule. The children decide for themselves when they would like to have breakfast.

9.15 – 9.45 am

Group time – A fixed part of the day includes our ‘Blitzlicht’ session, SBS sessions and birthday celebrations. 

from 9:45 am

Free play, activities & offerings – The children make use of the various activity rooms and the outdoor area.

11:45 – 13:30

Lunch – For children in Groups 3 and 6, lunch takes place at flexible times. The children decide for themselves when they would like to eat.

12:30 – 13:45

Sleep & rest time – Depending on the child’s age and needs.

2.45 pm – 3.30 pm

Afternoon snack – A shared afternoon snack.

3.30 pm – 5.00 pm

Pick-up time & free play – The day draws to a close in a calm atmosphere.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks take place at flexible times. This allows the children to listen to their own needs and decide for themselves when the right moment is for a break. At the same time, they experience mealtimes as a communal activity – they can go to meals together with friends and enjoy them together.

At breakfast, children can eat the food they have brought from home between 7:00 and 10:30.

Lunch is delivered fresh to us every day from Gasthaus Lamm in Blaubeuren. Between 11:45 and 13:30, the children have the opportunity to eat at their own pace.

At snack time, between 2.45 pm and 3.30 pm, we prepare fresh fruit and vegetables, which the children enjoy together with the contents of their snack boxes.

Through our participation in the national School Fruit and School Milk Scheme, we are able to offer the children fresh fruit, yoghurt and milk every day.

Basics

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

- The infans action plan for early childhood education

- The guidance framework for education and upbringing in Baden-Württemberg’s kindergartens

 “Children are born incredibly different and their questions and interests cover an enormous range; that is why there must be individualised educational programmes”, Quote from Wolf Singer, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. It follows that forward-looking educational concepts must open up each child’s own path to learning.

The City of Ulm is addressing these requirements and has therefore introduced the infans Action Plan for Early Childhood Education in its childcare centres. The concept was developed by the infans Institute for Applied Socialisation Research/Early Childhood e. V. in Berlin.

Modules of the concept:

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

The childcare centre team draws up educational goals and incorporates them into their pedagogical practice. In this way, cultural concerns, the interests of the provider, the parents and the staff are also communicated to the children.

The observations and educational goals form the basis of the educational work.

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

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

The children are thus offered an optimal learning environment in which they can experience a sense of community and develop a love of learning.

Although the educational principles are the same in all facilities, each facility 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.

Specifics

Our educational work is tailored to the children’s needs and interests. Creativity, cultural diversity and physical activity are the key areas that shape our daily routine.

Art, music and creativity

Creative activities and music are integral parts of our daily routine. In our creative room, children can paint, do crafts and experiment; in the building room, imaginative constructions take shape; and in the music room, they explore instruments, rhythms and singing together. This is complemented by our long-standing participation in the state programme SBS – Singing, Moving, Speaking, which combines language development with music and movement. Our qualified early years staff support the children in trying out and putting their own ideas into practice.

Intercultural Education

Our centre is characterised by great cultural and linguistic diversity. Children from different backgrounds play and learn together here – this enriches their daily lives and fosters mutual understanding. Through dialogue with families, various customs and traditions are incorporated into our educational work. For us, intercultural education is not an add-on, but a natural part of our daily work.

Physical Education

Movement is a fundamental need for children – we aim to make specific provision for this in our daily routine. Our own gym and the garden, which is open every day, offer the children a wide range of opportunities to move around, let off steam and explore their surroundings. We are supported in this by a qualified physiotherapist and experienced youth coach, who designs specific movement activities, sets up obstacle courses and movement landscapes, and regularly trains the educational team.

Description and Stations

Directions & Location

Our centre is located at Schillerstraße 2/7 in the heart of Ulm’s Weststadt district, not far from Ehinger Tor. From Ehinger Tor, the nursery is about a 5-minute walk away: 

from the bus stop, head west along Schillerstraße until you reach the junction with Zinglerstraße. After crossing Zinglerstraße, continue straight ahead until you reach the Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum, where you turn left into a side street off Schillerstraße. At the end of this side street, the centre is on the right-hand side – on the lower two floors of a block of flats.

By car

The nursery is also easily accessible by car. There are three short-stay parking spaces directly opposite, which can be used for up to 15 minutes with a parking disc – handy for dropping off and picking up the children. Further public parking is available in the immediate vicinity.