130 guests celebrate Kinderbrücke's first joint summer party
The first joint summer party for the Kinderbrücken groups in Wiesbaden took place on June 14 on the grounds of the Campus Kinderhaus, which made its idyllic outdoor space available for this special occasion. The weather couldn’t have been better. Around 130 guests of all ages clearly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
A Model That Brings People Together
“The idea for a joint summer festival came from the Kinderbrücke groups themselves,” said Wiesbaden’s Social Affairs Director Dr. Patricia Becher, who attended the festival. There are a total of twelve groups in the Kinderbrücke model, explained Anita Gerstmeier, Head of the Child Day Care Division for the City of Wiesbaden. In ten groups, substitute care is arranged through cooperation partners such as EVIM (three groups), the Child Protection Association (three groups), and the City of Wiesbaden (four groups). In the remaining two groups, substitute care is organized in collaboration with municipal daycare centers.
The cooperation model has an impact far beyond the state capital; it is unique in Germany. The child care providers cover for one another as needed. This creates a high level of security and reliability for families while also enabling attachment-oriented care for the children.
Elisa Gemmo heads the program at EVIM Bildung. In addition, she organizes the playgroups, provides advice to the child care providers, and manages the substitute system. Together with her organizational team, she planned the festival and helped ensure that visitors felt completely at home.
Creativity in the Open Air
At five stations, the youngest children could let their creativity run wild: At the paint drum, colorful works of art were created with energetic movements, and at the face-painting station, the children transformed into fairies, animals, or fantasy characters. The giant soap bubbles were also particularly popular; with a little skill, children and adults alike could immerse themselves in their shimmering colors.
The child care providers played an active role in making the summer festival a success. Sabine Krämer ran a creative station with natural materials, tape, and paper plates. This resulted in small works of art to take home. “Even the very youngest can do this,” says the experienced child care provider, who has been working in child day care for 25 years. Last September, she switched to the Kinderbrücke model with EVIM as a partner. After a long career, this was the best decision she could have made, she reports. She wanted to scale back a bit and was able to reduce the number of children in her care to three under this model. Two spots are always available for substitute care. Outside of the Kinderbrücke program, the child care providers look after up to five children. The substitute care arrangement offers additional security for everyone involved. “Through the weekly group play sessions, the children and child care providers get to know each other well. That’s a real advantage in case of a substitute,” she is convinced.
Jacqueline Bocian has been working as a child daycare provider in cooperation with EVIM for five years now. She cares for three children in her home in Breckenheim. “I absolutely love this job,” she says with a beaming smile. She has wonderful families, no occupancy issues, and definitely wants to continue. “I haven’t regretted it for a second,” she concludes.
Why parents choose this option
However, the nationwide trend of declining birth rates poses challenges for many independent child care providers. This is also confirmed by Thomas Scheffler, head of the Department of Day Care Centers and Child Care for the City of Wiesbaden. Added to this is the fact that parents are increasingly placing their children in care at a later age. This makes him all the more pleased that the summer festival brings people together in such a wonderful way.
Families choose the Kinderbrücke childcare model for various reasons. Alison Kirsch is a single mother to little Ilay. Since she has no local family support due to the distance, she turned to the Youth Welfare Office. There, her urgent application was approved. Ultimately, she chose Kinderbrücke. “The groups are smaller than in a regular daycare center, and I’m convinced that this care model is the best for my son,” she says. Her conclusion is clear: she is “super happy.” Ilay started daycare at eleven months old and really likes “Anna,” his daycare provider. Early next year, he’ll transition to a daycare center—a new developmental step his mother now looks forward to with confidence.
The special atmosphere of the Campus Kinderhaus and a lavish cake buffet, coffee, homemade lemonade, and fresh fruit helped ensure that all guests could enjoy a carefree afternoon and feel part of a larger community. There was also plenty of opportunity for interaction and connection: parents got to know other families, child care providers networked with one another, and staff from the sponsoring organizations took the opportunity to have personal conversations.
Background
EVIM is one of the cooperation partners in the “Kinderbrücke” model for child day care in Wiesbaden. Childcare providers with Kinderbrücke care for and support children in their home environment while also offering families a reliable backup option. Together with the children in their care, they meet regularly at weekly playgroups or visit their partner group at a cooperating daycare center. (hk)