Educational objectives

2. Which educational and development objectives are pursued?

Complement to family education

The child day care facilities are intended to complement and extend education and development within the family. Their offers permit children to discover and develop their physical, intellectual and social skills also beyond their family environment. Parents and teachers remain in constant contact and meet regularly to discuss the child's progress at all stages of the development process. It is a prime objective of the day care facilities to support the parents, and at the same time to encourage their direct involvement.

Promoting independent activity

The day care facilities are ideal opportunities for the children to play together. During their play, they come into contact with materials of the most varied colours, forms, sizes and properties. The whole building, with its people, rooms and grounds, represents a place of well-being and encounter. The children are able to unfold their abilities according to their individual needs. At the same time, independent activity is promoted and assisted - learning, exploring, experimenting and elaborating solutions.

From the time spent with the children, from conversations and observations, the staff are able to determine where their particular interests lie. Subsequently, they can provide the necessary framework of conditions to enable the children to develop their identity. Projects, nature excursions and visits to local institutions and attractions form a basis for the dialogue between the children and other protagonists within their environment. During the last year at kindergarten, the so-called school preparation year, they are actively prepared for the transition to primary school.

Progressive day care centres

Parents can recognise a day care centre operating according to the Saxon Education Plan (see Question 3) above all through the direct creative participation of the mothers and fathers at the transitions from family to day care centre, the cooperation with primary schools and extensive networking throughout the local district, the fact that children are supported in all their activities with the necessary space, materials, time and competent adults, that meal-times are used to promote general table manners, that learning and play enable the children to discover the world through safe and age-relevant experimentation, that subjects of importance to the children are handled, discussed and documented, that the children's own works are present throughout the building, that the children are offered access to different media, that the participation of the family is an essential element of the concept, that transparent joint solutions are sought which reflect and promote the individual development of every single child, and that all partnerships are characterised by tolerance, respect and dialogue.

Gender identity and education

Child day care centres also promote development of the child's individual identity with gender-relevant elements. The children become aware of the gender difference and the teachers support them where appropriate with gender-specific topics. Further training courses provide valuable ideas for activities in this respect. Through social interactions, the girls and boys can thus not only explore, but also contribute actively to their everyday situation within the group.

Contact

Child Day Care Agency for Dresden

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Visitor address

Dr.-Külz-Ring 19
01067 Dresden

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Phone +49-(0)351-4885101
Fax +49-(0)351-4885103

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Postal address

Postfach 12 00 20
01001 Dresden