Description and Stations

By bus and train: Tram lines 101 and 107, bus lines 160 and 161 as well as subway line U11 to Martinstrasse or bus line 142 to Girardet Haus.

Parking by car directly in the Girardet Haus parking lot (1 hour free of charge)

Introduction/specifics

The AWO Kita im Girardet Haus is a 5-group daycare center with 80 places, including 27 U-3 places on the 3rd floor of the Girardet Haus. Entrance 4.

All places are full-day places. The daycare center has long opening hours: Mondays-Thursdays until 5:30 pm and Fridays until 5:00 pm and secured opening hours during the summer and Christmas vacations.

Group structure: 1 group of 10 children aged 0-3 years, 2 groups of 20 children aged 2-6 years and 2 mixed-age groups of 15 children aged 4 months to school entry.

On the same floor there is a day care center with 9 U-3 places.

As a special architectural feature, the daycare center has a green roof garden as an outdoor area.

The AWO Kita im Girardet Haus has been a certified NRW family center since the summer of 2009 with a focus on the compatibility of family and career. It offers children and families in the social area additional services such as advice, courses, theme evenings and events.

Rooms

On the third floor of a former print shop, the daycare center has its own entire floor and is very spacious overall. Access to the building is barrier-free as there is a wheelchair ramp and automatically opening doors. Overall, the building has easily accessible paths and wide - wheelchair-accessible - doors. There is also an elevator that goes up to the third floor directly to the daycare center.
All groups have a group room, an adjoining room, their own washroom and toilets. Each group has its own baby changing room and there are four bedrooms. The daycare center is very spacious overall.
There is also a spacious multi-purpose room, which can be used as a gym and event room for a variety of purposes. Discussions, consultations and special support take place in a separate room.

Outdoor Facilities

The outdoor area includes a spacious green roof terrace above the rooftops of Rüttenscheid with two sand pools, a nest swing, a slide, a low ropes course, a wobbly animal, a water and mud facility and a meadow area.
Children can ride scooters or tricycles, for example, on paved paths.
There are also seating areas for resting and relaxing. The outdoor area offers varied and stimulating play opportunities.

The view is unique and extraordinary.

Daily Schedule

Die Kita öffnet um 7 Uhr und alle Kinder treffen sich zunächst in einer Gruppe bis ca. 8.30 Uhr. Anschließend wird in den fünf Gruppen bis 10 Uhr gleitend gefrühstückt. Während der Öffnungszeit  findet die Bildungsarbeit in Form von Projekten oder anderen Angeboten, wie z.B. Bewegung in der Turnhalle oder auf dem Aussengelände,  Ausflüge
oder regelmäßige Sing-und Spielkreise oder es werden Themen in Form von Kinderkonferenzen besprochen. Im Rahmen der Arbeit werden auch jahreszeitliche Besonderheiten einbezogen und bearbeitet.
Nach dem Essen, dem Wickeln und Zähneputzen gibt es eine Ruhephase für alle Kinder. Für einige geht es zum Schlafen, andere Kinder gehen entspannten Dingen nach. Um ca 14.30 gibt es eine weitere, gemeinsame Nachmittagsmahlzeit und anschließend bleibt bis zum Abholen Zeit die aktuellen Themen weiter zu bearbeiten, oder auch im Aussenbereich zu spielen. Ab ca.16.30 werden die Kinder in einer Spätdienstgruppe gemeinsam begleitet. Insgesamt geht der Tagesablauf von den Kindern aus und die Planung beinhaltet immer eine Flexibilität,  um jederzeit auf Besonderheiten, Wünsche  oder Aktuelles reagieren zu können.

Food

There are 2 meals a day at the daycare center. The children bring their own breakfast and it is served until around 10 am. Lunch is freshly prepared daily by a housekeeper and consists of one part frozen food and one part fresh food.  Stews and soups are homemade. Attention is paid to a varied, balanced and seasonal selection. Lunch also contains organic ingredients.  In the afternoon, a snack is also offered for children who are at the daycare center for longer. Sufficient fruit is available. Drinks such as tea, water and milk are available to the children.
Pork is completely avoided. A vegetarian diet is possible.
Special dietary requirements such as allergies and intolerances can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
The current monthly fee is 72,- EURO. Applications for cost reduction via the BUT are possible.
Children aged 18 months and over are obliged to take part in the lunch program as long as there are no health concerns.

Basics

Education, upbringing and care form a triad in our daycare center for children.
The AWO Kita im Girardet Haus works on the basis of the situational approach. Themes, events and situations that interest the children are taken up by the specialist staff in order to work on them in the group in the form of projects and activities. Educational planning is based on observation and corresponding evaluation. The focus here is on the child.

Holistic support during the entire opening time means that as many areas of competence as possible (e.g. language, motor skills, social and emotional development, etc.) are taken into account and supported. In doing so, the specialists focus particularly on the children's strengths. The children's play is of particular importance, as it is the child's way of dealing with and processing impressions, experiences and sensory perceptions.
The Fackkräfte support the children on their way to independence and accompany them individually on the basis of their interests and abilities. This requires a positive, attentive and open relationship between the specialist and the child. Regular observation and documentation of the child's development is ensured in writing and is the basis for regular discussions with parents, as well as the basis for educational planning in the groups.

The mixed-age groups allow the children to orientate themselves towards different age groups and also to gain experience with younger children. By living together, all children receive diverse and valuable developmental impulses, which represent a benefit for all sides in the reciprocal process of learning.
Regular time spent in the fresh air is an important part of our work and promotes the children's health and physical development.

Employee

The daycare center employs 15 pedagogical specialists, a pedagogue as a freelance director, state-approved educators and childcare workers, 2 housekeepers and various interns. There is also a volunteer reading mentor and an educational mentor.

Additional Offerings

The AWO Kita im Girardet Haus has been a certified NRW family center since the summer of 2009 and offers the following additional services: monthly parenting and family counseling; courses for parents with small children; sports activities for parents; advice and referrals for child daycare, speech therapy support during daycare opening hours; special childcare hours beyond daycare hours;
Childcare offer between Christmas and New Year for working parents; flexible summer vacation times on three different dates.

The special focus of the facility is the compatibility of work and family life.

Quality Assurance

The daycare center works on the basis of the AWO guidelines and their basic values, such as the peaceful democratic coexistence of people from different cultures, the integration of disabled people into society and targeted support and encouragement for people in difficult life situations.
The daycare center designs and ensures its work in accordance with the quality management handbook of AWO Kita gGmbH / DIN EN ISO 9000 ff / not certified.
The educational staff regularly take part in further training and working groups.

Cooperations

The AWO daycare center in the Girardet Haus/Family Center cooperates with the following partners:

AWO family education; the educational and family counseling service of Caritas; the youth welfare office/ASD (general social service) of the Rüttenscheid district; the social area conference and other working groups; with various elementary school in the area, with other family centers and daycare centers in the district; the community center “Villa Rü”; the police; the AWO Kinderhotel in the Girardet Haus; the health department of the city of Essen, some doctors and therapists; the AWO Kindertagespflege and babysitting, the Essen Grugapark; a reading mentor and an educational mentor

Teamwork with parents

Parents are important partners for us in achieving close and trusting cooperation. There are regular parent-child activities, themed parents' evenings, annual development discussions, joint events, an annual open day, home visits as part of the group work and regular parent council meetings.

News

www. awo-essen.de

Projects

The AWO Kita im Girardet Haus/Family Center cooperates with many institutions in the Essen-Rüttenscheid district.
In particular, the BNürgercenter Villa Rü should be mentioned here, with which joint district activities, festivals and events take place.

Holiday Care

The AWO daycare center in the Girardet Haus/ Family Center offers continuous opening hours during the summer and Christmas vacations, thus promoting the compatibility of family and career.
Daycare families can freely choose their 3-week summer vacation from three time offers.
During the Christmas vacations, there is a childcare offer for children of working people with a minimum number of participants.
There is a partnership with the AWO Kita Sommerburg during the summer vacations. In special circumstances, emergency groups may be offered. Furthermore, there are no closures on bridging days.