In your Kita search, you will come across a number of different Kita concepts. In this series of mini-articles, we focus on the most common Kita concepts with Suzanne Uprichard.
Suzanne holds a Masters degree in Education and has worked with children of all ages for nearly a decade. Having specialized in early years education (0-6), she now manages a private daycare facility for a med tech start-up here in Berlin. Her passion is providing pedagogical mentoring for teachers and parents and creating fantastical, other-wordly educational spaces so that children can develop to their full potential.
So what are Kita concepts and how can they help you pick the right Kita for your child and family?
Kita concepts are an explanation of their core values and how they wish to structure their day-to-day work with the children.
They may wish to pursue a particular pedagogical approach such as Waldorf or have an emphasis on particular skills such as music education.
Many Kitas, especially in larger cities will be bilingual and others are established as integrative day centers (Integrationskita), where children with and without disabilities are cared for together.
Each Kita’s concept should always be available for parents and can be incredibly useful in helping you to decide where your child should attend for their first experience of independent socialization and education.
Although the choice can be overwhelming, there is plenty of advice (including this very platform!) that can help your family:
Some Kitas will offer open-door days so that your child can explore the new environment and you can observe whether it is a good fit… this is also a great opportunity to speak to staff and find out more about their Kita day!
Recommendations from friends, neighbors and colleagues can provide guidance but don’t be swayed by too many opinions. More importantly, it’s about what feels right for your child and family dynamic!
In this series of articles, we will provide a brief overview into the different Kita approaches, mostly pedagogical and how they are applied in the learning environment.
We can offer you advice on what to look for, questions to ask and further, what you can take away and try at home.
Interestingly, many concepts can be a great source of inspiration for parenting… Cohesion between a child’s experience at Kita and home can help them to understand the importance of concepts like order, discipline and teamwork.
Following similar communication strategies and processes is a very effective method for parents to encourage consistent, positive outcomes in their child’s behavior. Perhaps this explains why Kindergarten is a very important step for any child and family to take and why an overall positive experience is considered so critical.
As a note before we dive in: While these concepts are an important part of establishing and running a Kita, the sad truth is that many Kita lack the staff and resources to satisfactorily implement these concepts on a day-to-day basis.
So while it is good to research a Kita’s concept, remember it is not the only factor that is important! Details such as commuting times, opening hours, closing periods, etc. can have a huge impact on you and your child’s stress levels and mood, so ensure this is also checked out!
This is the beginning of our mini series and here you can find the concepts we have tackled so far:
Stay tuned for more concepts to be published soon!
