Introduction/specifics

The Niehlpferdchen daycare center was originally a one-group facility that started in 2012 with 11 children aged 0 to 3 years. As there is also a great need for places for children over the age of 3 and the sponsoring association is very convinced of the group form, the facility has been expanding since the 2013/2014 kindergarten year and is now attended by 30 children between the ages of 0 and 6.

We want to give the children a place, a “second home”, where they feel safe, valued and comfortable, where they receive optimal care and individual support. This is based on a set of values that is characterized by making open-minded, interested and strong personalities out of our children.

In line with current infant research, we assume that children are born with all the skills they need for their further development. From birth, they are capable of actively using these skills and interpreting human actions. As adults, we can try to create and shape the best possible environment and conditions for children.

As adults, we can try to create and shape the best possible environment and conditions for the children.

We do this in our daycare center by addressing the children holistically, with head, heart, hand and humor, supporting them in their developmental steps and their actions and helping them to try out new steps.

We make use of the child's natural spirit of exploration, their love of learning and curiosity, their desire for the world and life, their urge to be active and to move.

As people from Cologne, we live tolerance and value a constructive coexistence of different cultures and ways of life. Even though we are non-denominational, we teach the children the central elements of the Western Christian culture in which they grow up, as well as those of foreign cultures.

It is important to us that every child in our daycare centers experiences themselves as a unique individual, regardless of nationality, external appearance, gender or religious affiliation.

Exercise and excursions of all kinds, for example to the forest, the zoo or the flora, the animal park, the theater or the weekly market, are particularly important.

There are child-oriented sleeping times.

It is a self-organized pedagogical association and not a parent initiative.

Rooms

The Niehlpferdchen are lucky enough to have large, light-flooded rooms. Approximately 215 square meters (square meters) of first floor space, as well as an approximately 50 square meter gym in the converted basement, offer the children many opportunities to let off steam and develop, to paint/craft, to sing/play music, to retreat to a cozy cuddle corner, simply to spend a nice day in a loving, safe atmosphere.

The first floor is divided into:

Two group rooms, which form the center of the facility. By using furniture elements that are as minimalist as possible and carefully selected, stimulating materials, we aim to create a varied play, experimentation and learning environment for the children. In the group rooms in particular, we attach great importance to the fact that the various play areas are changeable and can therefore always be adapted to the needs and interests of the children.

There are also two side rooms and a bedroom. All rooms can be used by the children for a wide variety of activities. It is important that consideration is given to children who are sleeping or need a rest period. The bedroom is set up in such a way that it is more conducive to quiet play.

In addition to these rooms, there is also a checkroom on the first floor with a separate entrance area where baby carriages can be parked. We have set up a seating area and information corner for parents in the checkroom.

The kitchen and office are also located on the first floor. The sanitary facilities for children and adults are also on the ground floor.

Outdoor Facilities

Our house is detached and has an exceptionally large outdoor area. The entire property is over 3000 square meters in size. The rooms are surrounded on two sides by our 600 square meter outdoor play area. In addition to a playhouse, flower/vegetable beds, a small and a large sandpit, we have created various play opportunities that stimulate the imagination and the senses.

Daily Schedule

A structured daily rhythm and rituals help the children to find trust, security and orientation. Of course, this does not mean that every day is the same.

07:15 a.m.

The daycare center opens. The staff prepare breakfast and the first children arrive. All children should be here by 09:30 at the latest.

07:30 am to 10:00 am

During this time, the open breakfast takes place, which the children can attend several times. For many children, this is the time to make their first contacts or to make plans for the day. Some may still be sitting sleepily at the table waiting for their spirits to rise. The entire breakfast time is always accompanied by a teacher, not only, but also to help the children with their breakfast.

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

In addition to free play, in which the children can choose their own play partner, play material and play area, various activities take place during this time. Depending on the subject area and planning, the educational staff provide specific stimuli or supervised activities. Of course, this also includes activities outside the rooms or outside the facility, such as regular excursions. At around 11.15 a.m. there is a small morning snack.

12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Singing circle together or free play followed by tidying up together

12:30 to 13:30

Lunch together. Lunch is very important, as it gives children and caregivers the space to talk about the day or other experiences together in a cozy, quiet atmosphere. It is particularly important to the educational staff to convey a pleasant table culture to the children and to experience eating as more than just a meal and a necessity. By brushing their teeth afterwards, the children learn the basics of personal hygiene, which are expanded and consolidated by the educational staff as they get older.

14:00 hrs

First pick-up time

14:00 to 14:20/14:30

Rest period, quiet activities (e.g. painting, looking at books, imaginary journeys or similar)

14:20/14:30 until 15:00

Free play, guided activities or short excursions such as a walk or a visit to a nearby playground

3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Coffee break, small afternoon snack (e.g. fresh fruit or vegetables, home-baked bread, etc.)

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Open pick-up time and free play

Food

Another important part of our daily pedagogical work is the cultivation of a pleasant eating culture, which we want to convey to the children. The children should not only see eating as a meal and a necessity, but also as a socio-cultural experience.

This begins with breakfast, which we offer the children openly between around 07:30 and 10:00. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we start the day with healthy muesli, milk, yoghurt and fresh fruit. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we serve different types of bread and occasionally bread rolls. We also serve cheese, homemade jam and vegetarian pastes. We try to offer vegan products as far as possible and make sure that we offer as little high-sugar food as possible. The children also help with the production of various foods. Of course, fresh fruit and raw vegetables are also available to the children on these days.Water and tea are available at all times. In our daycare center, only those children are fed who are not yet able to eat on their own or without assistance due to their age or stage of development. We attach great importance to giving children the opportunity to eat independently from an early age. It is important to us to give the children the freedom to test their cognitive and fine motor skills while eating. For example, the question “How do I get the jam on my bread?” This requires a high degree of attention, patience and restraint on the part of the accompanying person, as “jam with a blob of bread” is of course sometimes eaten during this learning process. The table, T-shirt and trousers are not left empty-handed either. Of course, the children can also eat several times during breakfast time or keep their friends company. After all, eating together is always one of the main places of communication. Of course, this also applies to lunch, which is freshly prepared rather than delivered. For lunch, we serve child-friendly dishes that are varied and balanced. It goes without saying that we buy fresh, high-quality food. We source most of our fruit, vegetables and meat from local farms, most of which are organic. When eating together, the children are allowed to eat everything, but do not have to eat anything. However, they are encouraged to try the food. As almost all the senses are stimulated, such as sight, smell, touch and taste, we give the children the space to “experiment”. This allows them to learn a variety of things. “If I pour milk into my potatoes and mash them, I get puree” or “Does the slice of cucumber float when I throw it into my glass of water, or does it sink?”. If you allow the children to experiment with olives, for example, by letting them put them on their fingers, you will find that some of them even find them tasty. Of course, we make sure that this experimentation does not lose its actual purpose and that the children are also taught an appreciative attitude towards food. This also means that the “eye also eats” and that the table is set attractively. Every child is given the opportunity to get involved and to make sure that each child gets what they need during the meal. The combination of “satisfaction”, namely being full and having fun and the “joy of contact” provide a solid foundation for new learning experiences and promote a sense of belonging. Food is never rewarded or punished in our facility. The next day's weather is independent of the amount of food eaten and those who have finished their Brussels sprouts may still have room in a small corner of their stomach for the fruit quark that is served for dessert.

Description and Stations

Pasteurstrasse is located in a small commercial area, between Boltensternstrasse and Amsterdamer Strasse. There are sufficient public parking spaces available, which allows for a relaxed drop-off and pick-up situation for parents. Bicycle trailers can be parked with us.

The daycare center is accessible via public transport
• by bus (line 140)
• Easy to reach as well as by tram (line 16 and line 13).

Employee

The Niehlpferdchen team consists of the pedagogical-organizational management team, 3 specialists and a full-time supplemental employee. We are also supported by a qualified social worker with 30 hours and a bachelor's degree in childhood education with 40 hours.

The management team of the facility has many years of experience in working with children between the ages of 0 and 6. Children, parents and, of course, staff and trainees benefit from this in their interactions with colleagues.

Thanks to this very good staffing ratio, we are able to cover staff training, vacations and illnesses internally so that we are well staffed at all times.

Our team is complemented by our kitchen staff, who take care of our physical well-being, a janitor and a cleaner, who ensure that our daycare center sparkles and flashes. An everyday helper also supports the facility.

In addition, trainees from the fields of childcare, education and social work regularly complete internships at the daycare center as part of their training.

Qualification

Das Leitungsteam der Einrichtung verfügt über langjährige Erfahrung in der Arbeit mit Kindern zwischen null und sechs Jahren. Davon profitieren Kinder, Eltern und natürlich Mitarbeitende und Auszubildende im kollegialen Austausch.

Darüberhinaus bilden sich alle Mitarbeitenden stetig weiter.

Additional Offerings

If necessary, we work together with a wide range of therapists, for example speech therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Therapy sessions can also be integrated into the daycare center's daily routine by arrangement.

In addition:

• Daily situation-oriented creative activities, music and movement activities;
• Weekly exercise program “Capoeira”;
• weekly nature day with a visit to the city forest; Offers from external specialists on various topics, such as an assertiveness course;
• Daycare center rabbits
• German and Portuguese as mother tongues, but no bilingual concept, although the Portuguese language is incorporated into everyday life in the form of songs and books.

Quality Assurance

Consistently high quality is very important to us in our work. We ensure this through

• collegial consultation
• regular, professional exchange within the team through fortnightly service meetings, more frequently if necessary, in which various topics are discussed, for example case discussions or planning Regular
• exchange with the parents' council
• needs-oriented supervision
• annual conception days
• project work and project research
• discussions on various topics in small groups or teams of two
• participation in various working groups, for example meetings of independent providers
• management conferences of the parity welfare association
• participation in specialist conferences
• board meetings, at least once a quarter
• further education and training courses in which our employees regularly take part.

Of course, specialist literature is available and can be purchased at any time and/or as required. The educational work of a daycare center is constantly evolving. We regularly review our actions and supplement or adapt the content of our concept to current quality standards. In addition to changes in legal requirements or new educational findings, other reasons for adapting or supplementing the educational concept may include, for example, suggestions from parents, wishes or ideas from the children or suggestions from our employees. In addition to receiving questions and concerns from parents on a needs-oriented basis, we conduct a parent survey once a year. This allows us to gauge satisfaction with the current framework conditions, for example with regard to daily opening hours, annual closing times and educational work with the children. In addition, it provides space for wishes, suggestions, constructive criticism and praise. We implement the results of this survey as far as possible. In addition, there is a regular exchange with the parents' council. Staff appraisals also take place at least once a year. These serve to redefine tasks and areas of work if necessary, to reflect on cooperation within the team or with the management, but also to discuss development prospects and, if necessary, to jointly initiate further steps and support the employees. However, they are also a space for mutual constructive criticism, both positive and negative. It is important to us that the discussion takes place in an atmosphere in which the employee feels comfortable and can express their opinion freely. These discussions are conducted with the respective employee, the management and an appropriately trained representative of the Management Board. We also use the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband quality system and evaluate our educational work on the basis of this. Good complaints management is very important to us. We attach great importance to taking the concerns of all children, parents and employees seriously and investigating all complaints in order to find a joint solution.

Cooperations

We actively promote networking with other daycare centers in the area, with facilities for children with special needs, with early intervention centers, with educational counseling centers, the relevant authorities and other specialist centers for children, as well as participation in professional working groups. We also work closely with physiotherapists, speech therapists and other specialists as required. We highly value information visits for the employees in the facilities. We are also happy to integrate various offers/courses into our day-to-day daycare activities. We are a member of KEKS (Kölner Elternselbsthilfe und Kinderselbsthilfe) e. V.

Teamwork with school

Im Rahmen der Einschulung kooperieren wir mit den entsprechenden Grundschulen.

Teamwork with parents

Positive cooperation between parents and educational staff, characterized by trust, is an indispensable basis for high-quality educational work with children. In family-supportive daycare work, the skills of the childcare staff and the skills of the parents are incorporated into the educational work so that constructive and optimal coordination of the child's two living environments is possible.

The first contact between the facility and the parents is the personal pre-admission meeting. Parents are introduced to the educational work of the daycare center, organizational matters are addressed, parents' questions are clarified and the premises are shown.

It is important to us to provide parents with comprehensive and professional advice on all issues relating to their child, to take their fears and concerns seriously and to present our educational work to them in a realistic and transparent manner. After the child has been admitted, a detailed initial discussion takes place between the parents and the caregiver. During this meeting, detailed information is obtained about the child's care, support and nurturing, home habits are queried, any unanswered questions are clarified and the settling-in process is discussed.

During the settling-in period, parents and children have the opportunity to get to know the caregivers and the children's group. Their presence gives them an insight into everyday life at the daycare center. During this time, parents can slowly detach themselves from their child, build up mutual trust and receive individual and needs-oriented support and guidance. The settling-in process is child-oriented and the separations are individually adapted to the child's pace.

The door-to-door talk is an important basis for mutually supportive cooperation. In this conversation, there is the opportunity to exchange daily information and events, as well as special incidents.

This is important for both the caregivers and the parents in order to be able to respond to the child individually and in a situation-oriented manner. Planned meetings with parents usually take place every six months. However, both parents and educational staff can request a meeting at any time. The development meetings are based on the observations and documentation of all educational staff and are recorded in writing in a documentation sheet. Contents of the parent-teacher conference include

- the child's stage of development;

- Observations from everyday life in the group;

- Observations and current topics from the family environment;

- Development of a support concept to strengthen the child's personal development The childcare staff are also available to advise parents.

Parents' evenings allow all parents to be informed about current topics and to exchange ideas with each other, but can also be assigned an educational focus. Our daycare center holds 2 - 3 parents' evenings per year. These are supplemented by parent cafés that take place at least four times a year.

Information about everyday activities and projects is displayed for all parents to see in the hallway/cloakroom area or communicated by email. In addition, current photos from everyday life at the daycare center are regularly posted. This gives parents an insight into the day's activities. Important information or invitations are forwarded to all parents in the form of a parent email. We are always happy to receive requests, suggestions, constructive criticism and, of course, just some nice feedback from parents and try to include them in our educational work as far as possible.

Specifics

Excursions are not the “highlight of the year” for us, but take place regularly and frequently. There is a regular nature day for the older children, while the younger children go shopping for fruit and vegetables at the weekly market or visit nearby playgrounds, for example. We also visit the zoo, the flora and the Rhine. But we don't shy away from longer distances either, so we have already been to the Königsforst and regularly visit the “Finkensgarten” in Rodenkirchen. We go to the children's theater, go on project-oriented excursions, explore our city, for example, and of course our outdoor areas and playgrounds in the area are used every day, regardless of the weather.

News

A year with the Niehlpferdchen

As a Cologne daycare center, we maintain customs and enjoy celebrating festivals. Among other things, these structure and structure the kindergarten year. After the summer holidays, the new children get settled in and before you know it, autumn is approaching. We collect leaves that we press, build funny chestnut figurines and slowly begin to sing the first St. Martin's songs...

• St.Martin - on an afternoon around November 11th. We build a small St. Martin's fire in the courtyard, sing together with parents and children and then warm up in the rooms with a warm tea or cocoa and a few treats. • St. Nicholas - we celebrate on the morning of December 6th. (or after if it is a Saturday or Sunday) with the children • Christmas party - our joint Christmas party takes place on a Friday afternoon at the beginning of December • Kölle Alaaf - since we are closed during carnival, we are holding a carnival party with the children on the Wednesday before Weiberfastnacht • Easter - if it is already warm and dry, we will have our cozy Easter brunch in the garden on Maundy Thursday. The children can also look for their nests there. If it's still cold and rainy, we also have plenty of great hiding places for the Easter Bunny inside • Summer party - on a Saturday afternoon before the summer holidays we all celebrate our summer party together. We grill, eat delicious salads, set up the bouncy castle and have a good time. • Birthdays - all children's and employees' birthdays are of course celebrated (morning or after lunch). • Other festivals - if the opportunity arises, we also like to celebrate other festivals, e.g. the Sugar Festival or similar.

Overview

The gender and age of the child are decisive for the allocation of places so that the group structure is as balanced as possible.

Types of care as of August 1st, 2024:

• 10 places for children aged 0 to 3 years
• 20 places for children from 3 years old until they start school