Introduction/specifics

Our Daycare Center

•    is located in the new development area of the city of Mittweida, on the outskirts of town, in
     close proximity to the Lauenhain neighborhood and the Kriebstein Dam, nestled in the
     beautiful Zschopau Valley with its forests and meadows

•    is housed in the same building as the Sonnenschein After-School Care Center

•    has space for children aged 3 to 7 in 6 groups

•    cares for children from all social backgrounds and a wide variety of countries of origin

•    cares for children with physical and emotional disabilities

Rooms

Our facility

•    has three separate units, each with two group rooms spread across two floors
•    features a shared bathroom and coatroom in each unit
•    offers a large arts and crafts room, a building and construction room, a relaxation and
     quiet room, and a room for differentiated learning,
•    has its own gym for daily use
•    has an after-school homework room, which the preschoolers use

Outdoor Facilities

Outdoor facilities

The outdoor area is constantly being expanded and redesigned to meet our children’s need for physical activity.

It is divided into a large and a small garden.

These are the garden areas where children can play in a way that is appropriate for their age.

During the summer months, in addition to the many trees, sun shades provide protection from the sun’s rays.

Your children can enjoy the following in the daycare center’s outdoor area:

• Sandbox

• Mud corner

• Climbing structures for children of all ages

• Various swings

• Slackline

• Huts and teepees

• Music wall

• Playboat “Sonni”

• A track for all kinds of vehicles

• Wooden horses

• Soccer field

• Seating for outdoor meals

In addition, several raised beds, planters, and a garden bed are used to grow seasonal vegetables and fruit.

Adjacent to the kindergarten grounds is a traffic garden.
The nearby sociocultural center—Müllerhof e. V.—is used in its outdoor area for field trips to play with the children and also as a venue for family afternoons, Easter egg hunts, etc.

Daily Schedule

Daily Schedule

 6:00 a.m. Playtime in the early morning group

 7:30 a.m. Playtime in all groups

 8:00 a.m. Breakfast

 9:00 a.m. Learning and educational activities, project work, celebrations

 9:45 a.m. Fruit break

10:00 a.m. Outdoor play, walks, field trips

11:00 a.m. Lunch

12:00 p.m. Nap time

2:15 p.m. Snack

2:30 p.m. Playtime indoors or in the garden

4:00 p.m. Playtime in the after-school group

5:00 p.m. Our daycare center closes

Basics

How We Work with Children

For us, every child is at the center of our approach—with all their ideas, questions, talents, and sometimes worries and chaos in their lives.
We believe: Children are capable of much more than we adults often give them credit for. 
Our daily life: friendly, hopeful, and quite lively
•    We focus first on the children’s strengths—not their problems.
•    In our daily routine, we create moments when children realize: “I can do this. I belong here. I’m safe.”
•    At the same time, we keep a watchful eye on anything that may be weighing on the children and, if necessary, seek out experts and support early on.
•    We foster resilience—that is, inner strength—through movement, music, creativity, exploration, play, daily time outdoors, as well as by listening and being there for the children.

Situation-oriented: Real life is our curriculum
We work according to a situation-oriented approach with a sensitivity to the children’s lived experiences.
This means: We take up what is truly on the children’s minds at the moment—a fight with their best friend, a new sibling, moving, saying goodbye, their favorite TV show, or snails in the yard—and turn these into learning and life situations.
The Saxon Education Plan is our professional foundation, yet the children’s lives are our “to-do list.” Details on the six educational areas (physical, social, communicative, aesthetic, scientific, and mathematical) can be found in our complete educational concept.

What Children Learn Here 
We want children to grow into healthy, active individuals who can take care of themselves and find their place in the community.
•    Personal Skills: Recognizing, naming, and expressing their own feelings; taking responsibility; being courageous; solving problems creatively; staying curious.
•    Social Skills: Making friends; resolving conflicts without violence; accepting differences; helping others; understanding and following rules.
•    Cognitive skills: discovering the world; asking questions; exploring nature; learning with all the senses and understanding connections.
We accompany your children on this journey.

Christian-oriented group: Faith for children
In our Christian-oriented group, children experience Bible stories, songs, and festivals of the church year—from Advent to St. Martin’s Day.
A teacher qualified in religious education leads the group: with morning circle, grace before meals, and many activities where children experience the Christian faith. Children from other groups are welcome to join if interested.

Language: Conquering the world with words
For us, language development is part of everyday life—while getting dressed, playing, comforting, laughing, and arguing.
We use pictures, pictograms, reading aloud, storytelling pictures, and, for example, Japanese storytelling theater so that all children can find their voice—including children for whom German is a second language or who have language difficulties.
A speech-language pathologist works with us on a regular basis, and we consult with parents whenever we notice speech or language concerns.
In the entrance area, a digital photo frame helps children share their experiences at daycare with their parents.

Parents: We’re all in this together
We treat parents with respect and without jumping to conclusions.
Every family brings its own story, language, and perspective—and we take that seriously.
We discuss our observations transparently and as equals, and we provide information about appropriate support services.
We are happy to offer guidance for any questions or concerns—as partners, not as judges. Our daycare social worker is here to listen to all your concerns—on equal footing, confidentially, respectfully, and without red tape. 

Teamwork: Professional, reflective, with a sense of humor
Our team works with professional expertise while remaining compassionate and personable.
We use peer consultation, case discussions, professional development, and diverse professional perspectives to best serve children and families.
We regularly review everyday situations via video to improve our practices—always with the goal of empowering children and organizing support early on.
And yes: Alongside all the professionalism, laughter is welcome here—humor is part of our educational toolkit.

Employee

Team

“Let the child be… and place them in responsible hands.

Children want to be well cared for.”

 WE guide them—as role models, with love and patience.

Our team consists of the director and qualified early childhood educators who focus on the individual development and well-being of the children.

Some of the educators have additional qualifications in special education, ensuring that each group’s integration needs are met to the best of our ability.

The Christian group is led by a state-certified educator with additional qualifications in religious education.

For the “KINDER STÄRKEN” project, our facility also has a social worker on staff. She advises families and the team, helps care for the children, and facilitates networking. Team members regularly participate in continuing education based on their individual talents, needs, and interests.

The custodian and the kitchen staff round out our team.

Additional Offerings

Childcare Social Work – ESF Plus Program “Strengthening Children 2.0”

The Sonnenschein Daycare Center has a childcare social worker. The childcare social worker serves as a specialist alongside the other educational staff at the center. 
The daycare social worker serves as a point of contact for…
•    Families
Counseling services are available for parenting and developmental issues related to children’s growth.
Counseling services are particularly available for questions or concerns regarding potential behavioral or developmental issues in children, as well as the associated wishes and worries of the children, parents, and families.
The daycare social worker provides guidance and support on a wide range of topics: parenting skills, daily family life and leisure activities, separation situations, single-parent families, debt, and financial difficulties, etc.

•    Children
At the daycare center, all children experience trusting relationships, and social interactions are characterized by mutual respect. 
In our daycare center, all children are part of the community. By adjusting the framework conditions, providing additional support, or simply being present, the daycare social worker ensures that all children can participate in programs and activities as part of the community.

Through preventive and early childhood education projects, as well as family-strengthening initiatives, the daycare social worker works alongside the educational staff to provide individualized support for children, either one-on-one or in small groups.
Through close collaboration with the teachers, systematic observations, and regular documentation of children’s development, the daycare social worker helps ensure the well-being of the children, and measures are identified and implemented as needed. 

•    Daycare Team 
The daycare social worker contributes to continuous quality assurance in professional practice by facilitating regular professional exchanges for individual team members or the entire team. 
Another responsibility is providing case-specific support to colleagues and identifying and negotiating appropriate alternative courses of action. 
The daycare social worker is responsible for professional development regarding video-based interaction analyses, for organizing and conducting video reflections, and supports colleagues in preparing for parent-teacher conferences. 
•    Cooperation and Network Partners
The daycare social worker establishes, maintains, and updates a reliable network within the social environment for the children, families, and the daycare team. 
Case-specific work with individual network partners must be supervised, organized, and/or structured by the daycare social worker. 

Program Details: KINDER STÄRKEN 2.0
“KINDER STÄRKEN 2.0 – A Program for Children with Special Learning and Life Challenges” in the Free State of Saxony supports social work in daycare centers by funding a part-time position for a daycare social worker. This project is a continuation of “KINDER STÄRKEN” from 2016. 
The additional specialist is co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus and the Free State of Saxony. The goal of the project is to support and promote children with learning and life challenges in a way that increases their educational opportunities and equality of opportunity. 

Projects

Recurring Festivals and Celebrations

At our preschool, we traditionally celebrate various festivals with all the children in the program. These include Carnival, Easter, the Christian group’s Easter breakfast, Christmas, St. Martin’s Day, and the children’s birthdays.

We start the day with a shared breakfast in each group. Each group plans and organizes this day individually and in keeping with tradition.

Common activities, the same for all children, include the Easter egg hunt, Santa Claus/the Christ Child, or sharing croissants. We also enjoy gathering in the stairwell with all the groups.

Parent and Family Celebrations   

Every year, we invite families, grandparents, siblings, and everyone who is part of the children’s family to spend the afternoon with us.

There are planned performances by the children, games and activities or crafts, and a delicious buffet. Our team places great value on this time spent together with the children and their families.

We also organize annual events such as flying kites together and, on St. Martin’s Day, a joint evening lantern parade to the nursing home.

Preschool Year and Graduation Party

The Sonnenschein team makes the final year of kindergarten very varied.

With various field trips, it is the most exciting year for the children. Right up to the graduation party—the Zuckertütenfest.

There, the children are bid farewell together with their families, and everyone celebrates together. A variety of surprises leave lasting positive memories for young and old alike.

Activities within the City

Because our facility is very centrally located, we can reach many institutions on foot.

The outdoor pool is very popular in the summer, as are the nearby library, nursing homes, the Kaufland supermarket, the police station, the fire station, the Müllerhof, the recreation center, and the city church.

Special Rooms

Movement area, Snoezelen room, gym, arts and crafts room …

Our daycare center is constantly evolving and adapting to changing circumstances.

This creates spaces that allow your children to engage in adventurous and creative activities. We have created a craft room, a building and construction room, and a Snoezel room. We use the large gym attached to the building, and during the winter, we set up a movement play area in our small gym inside the daycare center.

Time for Parents

Parent movie nights, toddler group, Daycare News

Social-educational support for concerns or applications

Our team of educators plans various opportunities throughout the year to bring parents together and maintain contact with the facility.

The daycare social worker plans and organizes events such as themed movie nights for parents. The lovingly designed daycare newsletter is a pleasure to read. What is my child experiencing?

For concerns or requests that cannot be handled alone, a social education specialist is available to assist.