Learning Problems-The-

Children's crib

definition

A day nursery is a facility for the care of children under three years of age who are still too small for kindergarten.
The term Kita (= day care center) is less clearly defined and can refer to any form of childcare, so it could stand for a day nursery or a kindergarten or a combination of both. The term crèche is therefore used in the following.

What is a nursery?

The first day nurseries were designed to enable both parents to practice their jobs all day and were particularly widespread in the GDR. Today there is also the aspect of toddler education, since the children should not only be looked after at an early age, but should also be encouraged. The crèche should therefore create time for the parents for their job and also encourage the children in their development and prepare them for kindergarten and school.

Everyday day-to-day work in the day-care center depends entirely on the age of the child. The smallest protégés from around 6 months old are only given attention and care, the little ones have plenty of time for their meals and to sleep. Older children are entertained with games and playful lessons and rest depending on their age-related needs. If there is high-quality care, the crèche has a positive influence on the development and skills of the child and is an optimal preparation for kindergarten and school.

Particularly noteworthy are the promotion of social behavior and cognitive skills, in which crèche children are ahead of their peers and settle into kindergarten and school more quickly. However, if the crèches are overburdened, if the quality of care is otherwise limited, or if the child spends more than 30 hours a week in the facility, problem behavior and other disorders can occur. This is the case when the educator changes frequently, the concentration of the children is overwhelmed, the caregivers pursue different parenting styles or the parents do not raise the children to the same extent at home. It is therefore important to select the right crèche with suitable care for each child individually, so that the child can only enjoy the benefits of this facility.

The range of childcare places in Germany varies greatly from region to region. In the new federal states of the former GDR, the majority of toddlers attend a day nursery, in western Germany barely a third. There is a lack of qualified personnel in the east and crèche places in the west. Due to these problems, the entire daycare system is undergoing renovation and is part of political discussions in many places.

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Daily routine in a day nursery

As already mentioned, everyday life is based on the age of the children being looked after. Babies under one year old need a lot of attention, but just as much rest. They are fed and swaddled and the rest of the time they are put to sleep or looked after in their arms or in a playpen, as required. Older children are integrated into the group through games and are supposed to learn social and cognitive skills.

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In most day nurseries, the day begins between 7 and 8 a.m. by bringing the children and discussing any special features of the day. This is usually followed by a kind of greeting, e.g. a circle of chairs with the singing of a song together. At breakfast the children learn to eat and wash their hands independently. The time until lunch is spent playing, romping or sleeping, depending on the child's age and needs. Many day nurseries provide an hour of playing and learning together during this time. Even the lunch meal has its own ritual, depending on the crib, with joint preparation, eating and clearing. After that, the older children also need a little rest, so a nap follows.

The time until collection is again individually designed, e.g. with outdoor sports games in good weather. If the children are only fetched in the evening, most day nurseries offer an afternoon snack, which should be prepared together with the children.

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How long can my child stay in the day nursery?

Most day nurseries offer variable delivery and collection times. Children are usually brought in between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and picked up again in half-day care between 2 and 3 p.m. or in full-day care between 5 and 6 p.m. Larger day nurseries that are integrated in daycare centers can also provide late-night care or, if necessary, even look after the children overnight and on weekends. Since family life, with its own rituals and timing, is very important for the child's development, such arrangements should only be made in an emergency.

How long the child is allowed to attend a daycare center in terms of age depends on the structure of the care facility. As a rule, children from approx. 3 years of age come to kindergarten when they can go to the toilet on their own and no longer need much care, as fewer educators are available here.If the child attends a day care center with crèche and kindergarten, the limits can be more variable. In general, attempts are made to move children who are friends to the next level of care together.

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What if my child is sick?

Children with infectious diseases are generally not allowed to go to day care centers or other facilities in order to avoid infecting other children. These include, above all, highly contagious childhood diseases such as measles, chickenpox, etc., against which the child should be vaccinated anyway, but children with coughs, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting or unclear fever are also not part of childcare.

Depending on the regulations, parents are entitled to at least 10 days off work per child, on which they can stay at home and look after the child. Due to the frequent infections in childhood, their own stress when absent from work and the annoying visit to the pediatrician, many parents are annoyed when the day care center prohibits the sick child from visiting. But since the well-being of the other children is in the room and the crèche would have to temporarily close if the staff fell ill, everyone involved must adhere to the regulations.

Unfortunately, many diseases can be transmitted even before the first symptoms appear, and yet there are occasional waves of disease in a facility. However, this is also due to the particularly close contact between the children and the not yet learned hygiene measures (e.g. hand washing or holding hands when coughing) and cannot always be prevented.

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When can my child go back to the crèche when they are healthy again?

Depending on the disease, infection may be possible before, during and / or after the onset of symptoms.
The pediatrician should therefore make a decision depending on the clinical picture. In the case of most diarrheal diseases, for example, it is important not to return the child to the crib until digestion and bowel movements are completely normal again. Children with a runny nose and cough are often no longer contagious, even if they still show mild symptoms. Children with a fever should be completely free of fever and fit before they can go back to the crèche. In the case of rare diseases, however, these infectious intervals can also be completely different. If the disease is new or atypical for the child, the pediatrician will provide information.

From what age can my child go to the day nursery?

In general, day nurseries can look after children from around 6 months. In individual cases, however, the age varies enormously, as not every child has reached the same stage of development at six months. Since the first months and years of life are a very formative time for babies and parents, the child should not be placed in an institution all day at this early stage, but nothing stands in the way of care. Also to be considered are, for example, the child's sociability, the need for attention and attention or the eating and sleeping behavior, as these factors influence everyday life in the day care center.

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How do I know if my child is ready for daycare?

There is no optimal time to put your child in a care center. Many parents are afraid of harming their child if they put them in a crèche too early. Of course, the bond between parent and child is very important and can be affected by long periods of care. This relationship can also be established before and after work, regardless of the baby's age. As long as the child receives good individual care in the crèche, only stays there as long as necessary and the parents deal with the little one outside of working hours, babies can be handed in for care as early as a few months.

The signs that come from the child and speak for care are more relevant in kindergarten age. For example, a certain curiosity and willingness to play with others are signs that a child could have a lot of fun in kindergarten. In the nursery age, this curiosity and interest in the environment is also beneficial, but not necessary due to the individual care, as each individual child can be better dealt with in the nursery and babies even have their own carer. Most day nurseries offer trial periods to show whether the child feels comfortable there. In case of doubt, the support can therefore be tried out first.

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What do you have to pay attention to in the childcare center?

The cribs in Germany differ enormously from one another. The quality of the care depends largely on the number of educators, their working conditions and training, the spatial conditions and much more, but even with optimal conditions, each daycare center pursues a different educational concept. The proximity to home or work also plays a role. Parents should therefore find out about available places in their area and visit the day nurseries.

If you have a special focus on, such as a different language, a creative educational concept or an establishment in the middle of nature, the choice is more limited. In this regard, there is a multitude of different offers, but often not in the vicinity, without free capacity or very expensive. If there are siblings, they are usually all given together in the same facility, as they then have a reference person for each other. This can also be a decision-making aid if the child has friends in a day nursery. However, since their peers at this age are usually not yet important caregivers, the children can get along without their friends from the neighborhood etc.

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Costs for the children's crib

How the fee for day-care centers is calculated varies greatly from region to region.
Private day nurseries are significantly more expensive, municipal facilities are financed by the state, but may levy an additional fee that is adjusted to the parents' income and other factors. Thus, the monthly costs vary from around 15-600 €, depending on whether and how the facility is subsidized or whether it is a private daycare center.

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Who bears the costs for the day nursery?

Municipal care places are financed up to 100% by the respective provider. Depending on the region, these are public bodies such as authorities, associations and clubs and independent bodies such as sponsors, church associations, independent associations and many more.
To this end, every daycare center can demand a variable additional contribution from the parents. The exact reimbursement of costs is therefore slightly different for each day nursery and the system is significantly more complicated than for non-contributory schools.

Daycare Act

The so-called day care centers act defines which care facilities belong to day care centers, namely day nurseries (up to the age of 3), kindergartens (up to the start of school), after-school care centers and children's homes (for school children up to the age of 14), and which regulations apply to those To support children optimally. The primary goal is the child's development, which should be supported and encouraged along with important everyday and social skills. This is referred to as the child's “self, social and learning skills”.

In addition, disabilities, impairments and other disadvantages are to be balanced out by individual concepts and all children are to be integrated as it were. The law also specifies the areas in which funding is relevant, e.g. Body / health, gross and fine motor skills, language and many more. It is also emphasized to care for the children holistically and adapted to their individual level of development and interests. School education is not a job for day-care centers. In addition, the law expressly prohibits degrading and corporal punishment. The remaining sections deal with the sponsorship and operation of the facilities, including, for example, determining the required number of childcare places and other legal matters.

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