Concept of Kita Zauberwald e.V.
Status: April 2025
1 Framework Conditions
1.1 The Provider of the Facility
The sponsorship lies with Kita Zauberwald e.V., represented by the
Chairperson Mr. Marco Weber,
and the elected representatives Ms. Jenny Günther and Ms. Nicole Schmidt.
Elected by the general meeting on June 27, 2024.
Kita Zauberwald e.V. is affiliated with the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Bielefeld.
The provider has the main responsibility for everything that happens in the daycare center. They are responsible for the welfare of the children, the content and organizational work in the daycare center, compliance with legal regulations, and act as the employer. Furthermore, they ensure access to further training and specialist advice. The duties of the provider are found in § 3 Para. 3 KiTaG. In practice, although the provider delegates some tasks to the management of the facility, such delegation should be transparent. The ultimate responsibility always remains with the provider.
1.2 The Management of the Facility
The management of Kita Zauberwald lies with Ms. Sylvia Heidemarie Kaiphas.
She is a state-certified educator and certified daycare manager.
The deputy management lies with Ms. Melanie Custini. She is also a state-certified educator.
Management tasks are carried out in a participatory manner as a management team.
The core tasks of the daycare management include the following areas:
- Pedagogical management and operational management,
- Leadership and development of the pedagogical staff,
- Cooperation within the team, with parents, and cooperation partners in the social area (e.g., with schools, child day care, cultural institutions, counseling centers, medical and therapeutic institutions, child and youth welfare institutions, child protection agencies, etc.),
- Organizational development with all participants,
- Self-management, which includes personal professional positioning and further training as well as work organization, time management, and reflection on one's own leadership role,
- Observing framework conditions and trends and drawing conclusions for one's own facility, as well as
- Strategic planning for one's own management actions,
- Implementation of the child protection mandate and the continuous further development of the child protection concept.
1.3 Kita Zauberwald e.V. since August 2012
Kita Zauberwald e.V. began operations in 2008 under its current sponsorship.
In 2009, Kita Zauberwald e.V. moved into the new premises at Kuhloweg 7.
Since August 2012, the premises and group structure have been optimally adapted to the needs of the children and an age-appropriate concept has been developed.
Kita Zauberwald e.V. provides 30 places for children aged from 7 months until school entry.
Pedagogical work with all the various educational areas, the support of children with special needs, language support, and building good cooperation between children, parents, and employees have been an important focus from the beginning. Protection against violence and any form of abuse of power is at the forefront of our pedagogical work.
1.4 Address and Contact Details
Management: Sylvia Heidemarie Kaiphas
Kita Zauberwald e.V.
Kuhloweg 7
33689 Bielefeld
Tel.: 05205/ 70 463
Fax: 05205/ 967 95 15
Email:
Bank details: Sparkasse Bielefeld
BIC: SPBIDE3BXXX
IBAN: DE76 4805 0161 0040 0155 88
1.5 Opening Hours
Kita Zauberwald e.V. is open Mondays – Thursdays from 7:15 AM – 4:30 PM and Fridays from 7:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Care times:
- 25 hours with and without lunch
- 35 hours flexible:
- 7:15 AM – 2:15 PM
- 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM
- 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- 8:15 AM – 3:15 PM
- 45 hours
The daycare center is open all year round with a closure period between Christmas and New Year, one bridging day per daycare year, up to 2 team days, and the last three weeks of the summer holidays.
1.6 Catering Situation
A healthy and balanced diet is very important to us.
That is why children get to know meals in a healthy variety.
Breakfast is brought by the children and eaten during a flexible breakfast time from 7:30 AM to approx. 9:00 AM.
On Fridays, a communal group breakfast takes place, which is prepared together with the children.
Our cook prepares fresh, varied meals daily, including delicious desserts. We pay attention to a balanced, healthy diet and a rich supply of fruits and vegetables. Ingredients, fruits, vegetables, as well as meat and sausage products, are of organic quality and from regional producers (see cooperation list).
1.7 Group Structure
At Kita Zauberwald e.V., there are currently 30 places distributed across two groups with a total of 10 children aged 7 months to the completion of their 2nd year of life and 20 children from the completion of their 2nd year of life until school entry.
Until the completion of the 1st year of life, we offer a booking of 25 or 35 hours for the well-being of the child.
From the 2nd year of life, a booking of up to 45 hours is possible.
1.8 Premises
Our premises have been designed with child development in mind.
Child protection has been taken into account through maximum transparency and protection of privacy.
1.8.1 The Ground Floor
On the ground floor, there are two group rooms with an adjoining room, associated cloakrooms, a washroom, a kitchen, a cleaning supply room, and the entrance area with an information area for parents.
The group rooms are geared towards the four most important developmental areas of the children – movement, role play, creativity, and rest.
The design of the U-3 (under 3) area was tailored exactly to the needs of toddlers in August 2013. Individually adapted fixtures offer age-appropriate incentives for the children here as well.
1.8.2 The Upper Floor
Here you will find the sleeping rooms for the U-3 children, the diaper changing area, a movement room, the staff room, the office, and the staff toilet.
1.8.3 The Sleeping Rooms
Sleep is a child's best friend and occupies an important place in our pedagogy.
That is why we place special value on lovingly furnished sleeping rooms.
For every U-3 child, we provide their own personal cot in one of the three sleeping rooms.
The Ü-3 (over 3) children spend their rest phase in the movement room, which is comfortably prepared for this purpose.
1.8.4 The Diaper Changing Area
For us, changing time means relationship time. Thus, the changing facility, equipped with integrated stairs that allow children to climb up independently, is located in a separate washroom.
The changing area is not visible even when the door is open, in order to protect the children's privacy.
1.8.5 The Movement Room
Movement needs space. The movement room offers this, equipped with a small, flexible movement landscape and materials such as parachutes, balls, hoops, etc.
A room for romping and playing and also for joint activities.
1.8.6 The Outdoor Area
Our outdoor area is divided into two sections.
Directly at the daycare center is a natural play garden with a natural digging corner, a large sandbox with a mud system, and a U-3 play castle with a slide.
A hammock swing and two large terraces directly in front of the group rooms are provided with sun protection, as is the large sandbox area.
Approx. 100 m from the daycare center is another play garden with a large sandbox, a tree house with a slide, a nest swing, and a Bobby Car race track.
Important information on the implementation of child protection in our premises can be found in our child protection concept, which is part of this pedagogical concept.
1.9 The Team
Our team currently consists of:
1 Daycare Manager (state-certified and recognized educator, certified daycare manager)
6 state-certified and recognized educators
1 Child care worker
1 Intern in their recognition year
1 Trained cook and an everyday helper
2 Pedagogical Principles and Concept
2.1 Pedagogical Approach
In our pedagogical action, we orient ourselves towards the situation-oriented approach according to Dr. Armin Krenz. The situation-oriented approach is based on the experiences and emotional impressions that children have gathered so far. Processing and classifying what has been experienced is the focus of this pedagogical approach.
2.2 Our Philosophy
As the saying "The soul of the three-year-old reaches until the 100th birthday" goes, education in early childhood is decisive for the development of human warmth, mutual consideration, respect for life, gratitude, respect, harmony, and love, and thus decisive for the formation of human character.
We want to educate and accompany people who, based on a developed respect for life and a sense of equality, have skills for mutual understanding, creativity, and problem-solving.
We want to shape young people who can later make a contribution to the common wish of all people for peace and the protection of nature.
2.3 Our View of the Child
Every child has rights, especially to education, love and recognition, and protection.
Every child is welcome in our house.
They have their personal way of seeing, feeling, thinking, and expressing themselves.
They are motivated, creative, concentrated, and persevering when they can act, think, and experiment themselves. They do not absorb knowledge through instruction.
They learn sustainably when they can have experiences themselves. They explore themselves and the world actively on their own, but also with other children and adults. In doing so, they acquire knowledge and are simultaneously "inventor, artist, craftsman, and philosopher" in their activities.
The child can express themselves in a variety of ways. They have "100 languages". They express themselves through gestures, facial expressions, games, dance, music, words, artistic works, movement, and much more. They are rich in ideas and notions.
Through the principle of participation, the child experiences self-efficacy. The lived rights of children and lived participation are described in detail in our Children's Rights Concept.
2.4 Pedagogical Action
We accept every child appreciatively and take into account their respective life and educational situation.
We take the children seriously and listen attentively. We want to make children strong for their lives: Strengthening self-confidence.
We support every child towards the greatest possible independence and self-activity and help to stimulate their joy of learning. We encourage every child to develop and expand their physical and mental abilities and skills.
We promote the joint education of children with and without impairments. We respect childhood sexuality and support the children's physical and mental self-perception.
We support, protect, challenge, encourage, guide, comfort, strengthen, motivate, integrate, give closeness and patience, show consistency, observe, document, and accompany every child on their personal path.
We encourage children to participate and make decisions and offer many opportunities to do so. We take children's complaints seriously and strive for problem solutions.
We respect childhood sexual development.
We take the protection mandate entrusted to us for children very seriously by treating children with appreciation and respect. In our Child Protection Concept, you will find our Code of Conduct for employees (Item 4.2) and our stance on child protection (Item 5 ff.).
2.5 Education
Our educational mandate is based on the educational agreements and the school readiness profile of the state of NRW. The holistic support of the individual child is linked in the various educational areas.
In the last daycare year, every child takes part in intensive school preparation as part of the "Lern-Werk-Statt" (Learning Workshop). This is specifically geared towards the children's support needs in order to achieve an optimal transition to school. Here we work closely with the local primary schools.
2.5.1 Movement
In the first years, children access the world through movement. It is a basic need to grasp and get to know the spatial and material world with all senses.
We promote the child's physical and mental development in our facility through a varied range of movement activities that address the individual needs of the child.
The entire facility is a movement space:
In the morning and closing circle, with action and movement games, in the movement room through romping, climbing, and guided play forms.
Playing on the outdoor grounds, exploration tours and walks, different movement materials for balance training, coordination development, promotion of fine and gross motor skills.
Once a week for the 1–3-year-old children gymnastics in the movement room with space for free development, for the 3–4-year-olds riding at the therapeutic riding center Eckardtsheim, and for the 5–6-year-olds swimming once a week with a trained swimming instructor in the indoor pool Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock.
2.5.2 Body, Health, Nutrition and Sex Education
A fundamental prerequisite for the healthy development of the child is physical and mental well-being. For every child, the perception and efficacy of their own body is a fundamental experience.
Through various senses (e.g., touch, sight, hearing, balance, taste, and smell), children seek individual opportunities for experience in play.
For this, they need an environment that offers varied stimulation and materials that give them the opportunities to use and expand their senses and abilities.
Children experience holistic health education in everyday interaction based on fixed hygiene rules such as: washing hands, using handkerchiefs, dressing appropriately for the weather, and so on.
In case of illness, we follow the recommendations of the health department for readmission to community facilities.
A balanced diet has a decisive influence on the mental and physical development of children in the first years of development. Therefore, the topic of healthy nutrition is an integral part of daily work. For this reason, we mainly source regional products for catering, such as milk and dairy products as well as eggs from Gut Wilhelmsdorf, sausage and meat products from the Westhoff butchery in Sende, and fruit and vegetables from Fruchtquelle Heepen.
Every two weeks, a cooking course for children takes place in small groups. Here the children get to know food and its preparation.
Physical curiosity is a central building block of child development. Conveying appropriate language and naming body parts is anchored in our daily work. Our sexual pedagogy concept describes our handling of childhood sexuality, physical contact, toilet training, diaper changing situations, feelings of shame, self-gratification, doctor games, child protection, etc.
2.5.3 Language, Communication, Literacy and Media
Language is the key to communication. Thus, we place great importance on positive language development of the child.
In our facility, we create diverse language occasions that arise during play, e.g., when negotiating rules and roles, when experimenting, when building and constructing, when looking at picture books, in conflict resolution, in care situations.
Through poems, songs, finger plays, rhymes, and conversations, it continues to be our task to motivate the children to speak freely and to be role models in our language behavior.
In various projects, we offer children access to books and works of art, to media in general. In the weekly language support groups, we also address the corresponding support needs of the different age groups in a differentiated manner.
2.5.4 Social, Cultural and Intercultural Education
Social relationships are a decisive prerequisite for the general education of the child. With great interest, children notice differences in the norms and values of other families and have the opportunity to deal with them and develop openness. In our facility, we support and guide the children throughout their daycare time to express their feelings and needs, as well as to take those of others seriously, to endure conflicts, and to find solutions.
To treat oneself and others respectfully, to adhere to rules and structures, to make joint decisions, and to take responsibility for one's own actions.
2.5.5 Musical-Aesthetic Education
All areas of everyday life are shaped by experiences and sensory perceptions.
Musical-aesthetic education shows children possibilities of expression that encourage them to actively engage with their environment.
With music, dance and rhythm, handling musical instruments, singing, moving, clapping, moods can be reduced and intensified.
Through designing with different colors and materials as well as role play, children gain further possibilities of expression to clarify their feelings and needs.
2.5.6 Mathematical Education
Numbers, shapes, size, and weight are everyday topics for a child. Children compare, measure, weigh, and discover numbers in the environment.
In our work, we support the children's urge to discover and build a basic mathematical understanding on this.
Through songs, finger plays, counting rhymes, orientation at times of day, experiences of spatial relationships, cooking and baking, sorting, and conveying numbers, colors, quantities, and geometric shapes using table games and construction material, we promote mathematical education in our facility.
2.5.7 Scientific and Technical Education
A child's environment encourages them to try out, discover, and ask questions independently. The encounter with natural events and materials awakens their natural interest in examining everything closely and wanting to grasp contexts of meaning.
Through diverse offers in nature, in the forest and meadow week, on walks in the village, by providing various technical devices, through the use of media and extensive examination in projects, we encourage experimentation and trying things out and promote the development of different solution strategies.
2.6 Inclusive Support
For us, joint education primarily means that all children, with and without (threatened) disabilities, grow up equally in a group. That they learn and experience with and from each other and benefit from each other in a reciprocal process.
Our goal is that the individuality of every single child is experienced as normality. Therefore, we organize our everyday life so that all children can participate and every child is given space for individual growth and learning according to their possibilities.
All practiced aspects regarding inclusion can be found in our Inclusion Concept, which is part of this pedagogical concept of Kita Zauberwald e.V.
2.7 Child Protection
The protection of the children entrusted to us is particularly close to our hearts.
We employees of Kita Zauberwald e.V. are aware that in our daily work we bear a high responsibility for the welfare and protection of the children entrusted to us. Our daycare center should be a safe place – a place they like to go to, where they experience trustworthy adults.
All practiced aspects regarding child protection can be found in our Child Protection Concept, which is part of this pedagogical concept of Kita Zauberwald e.V.
2.8 Participation and Complaints
In our facility, the general rule for participation is that independence and self-determination are strengthened and democratic coexistence is lived.
Craft and play materials are freely accessible to the children. The children have the opportunity to choose their play area freely if this is compatible with the duty of supervision.
For project and activity topics, the wishes and suggestions of the children are taken up and considered. In joint morning and closing circles, children have the opportunity to express their wishes and needs and make joint decisions.
Participation is always to be seen as an individual process and must not lead to excessive demands on the children. The possibilities of participation lived in our house are described in detail in our Children's Rights Concept.
2.9 Settling-in Phase
The settling-in phase is the foundation for the holistic personality development of the child in our facility.
Settling-in takes place based on the "Berlin Model". This model includes an average settling-in period of 3–4 weeks, during which the parents initially stay in the group for a few days, at first for hours. After that, separation from the parents takes place gradually.
Beforehand, approx. six weeks before the summer holidays, we offer a get-to-know-you afternoon once a week, where the children and also the parents can already get to know the facility and the pedagogical staff.
Thus, the actual settling-in and mutual acquaintance are very gentle and intensive. The settling-in of the parents is also very important to us. After the daycare places have been determined, we invite you to an information evening for parents in the spring, where the admission and settling-in of the child as well as the structures, the pedagogical concept, and our child protection concept are presented.
Close to the admission date, a personal admission interview takes place in the form of a home visit, where individual questions and needs are discussed.
Six weeks after the start of daycare, a reflective parent interview about the child's settling-in period takes place.
2.10 Observation and Documentation
Observation and documentation have a high priority in our facility.
We orient ourselves towards the Leuven Involvement Scale, which gives us criteria with which the emotional well-being and involvement of the child and the entire group can be assessed.
We document the legally prescribed language development assessment using the accompanying everyday integrated language development observation in daycare centers (BaSiK and BISK). Furthermore, we continuously document the developmental status of the children and also pay special attention to the mental and physical health status of the children.
3 Cooperation with Parents
For the welfare of the child, we wish for a cooperative partnership with parents.
For this, a regular exchange about the development of the child is meaningful and necessary.
Conversations "in the doorway" (brief exchanges) should only serve for the exchange of short information. The parent consultation day, which takes place twice a year, offers parents and pedagogical specialists the opportunity to talk about the child in peace.
Upon request and for current occasions, parents arrange an appointment with the pedagogical specialist or the manager. Parent evenings are an integral part of the cooperation. They take place in group-internal and topic-related evenings (e.g., with a speaker).
To meet the need for contact and communal experience of the families, we regularly offer activities such as chat afternoons, craft afternoons, grandparents' afternoon, joint festivals, and excursions for parents and children.
The Parents' Council is the link between parents and the daycare center. It is elected at the beginning of each kindergarten year and consists of one parent from each group. The Parents' Council represents the interests of the parents and works trustfully with other parents, the pedagogical staff, and the provider. The Parents' Council also participates in the organization of events and takes part in pedagogical concept days.
4 Cooperation with Other Institutions
The network of Kita Zauberwald e.V. currently includes:
- Local Primary Schools / Waldorf School
- Vocational Schools: AWO Berufskolleg
- Der Paritätische Bielefeld
- Youth Welfare Office Bielefeld
- Employment Agency
- Health Department
- Early Intervention Center Lebenshilfe-Wirbelwind GmbH
- Curative Education Child Aid and Multimedia Therapy e.V.
- Vision Early Intervention
- SPZ Bielefeld (Social Pediatric Center)
- Speech Therapy Practice Tesche & Team
- City Library
- Indoor Garden Pool Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock
- Sports & Culture Eckardtsheim
- Gut Wilhelmsdorf
- Fruchtquelle Heepen
- Fresh Market Matthias Westhoff
- Therapeutic Riding Eckardtsheim
- External specialist advice on the subject of child protection (see Child Protection Concept)
5 Quality Assurance/Quality Development
To plan our pedagogical work and implement it in practice in a differentiated and goal-oriented manner, a team meeting takes place once a week as well as a daily short briefing.
In addition, all pedagogical employees have preparation times in which they analyze and reflect on their group situation and specifically prepare work on and with the child.
To meet the work and the requirements of the children and parents, all educators regularly participate in further training. For concept development, a pedagogical team training day takes place twice a year. The manager regularly participates in the management circles of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Bielefeld.
Quality assurance is documented by the Paritätische Quality Manual for Daycare Quality PQ-Sys® KiQ.
6 Safety and Data Protection
The provider has aligned Kita Zauberwald e.V. according to the accident prevention regulations for daycare centers of April 1, 2009. Regular checks by occupational safety and the Bielefeld Health Department take place at the prescribed intervals.
The daycare center provides a trained safety officer and designated first aiders. All pedagogical employees are regularly trained in first aid for children.
In January 2023, child protection officers were trained in each group.
Collected data of children and their relatives are stored securely and not passed on. Telephone lists are only created with the express permission of the parents. Photo and video material is only recorded and/or exhibited in the daycare center with the written permission of the parents. Photo and film material is only to be recorded with daycare property (camera, tablet) and is never presented publicly.
Recording with private mobile phones (staff or parents) is expressly prohibited in our facility. The children's cloakroom spaces are only marked with names.
A current document directory is posted in the facility. It includes document type with purpose and storage (e.g., group book, accident reports, children's files, etc.).
7 Record Keeping and Storage
All receipts concerning current daycare operations are properly listed in a cash book. Bank statements are filed with the corresponding receipts.
The prepared documents are delivered to the administrative service of the Paritätischer NRW Kreisgruppe Bielefeld, Stapenhorststr. 5, 33615 Bielefeld.
The administrative service (Ms. Rogatti) books the expenses and income properly according to the intended purpose. A boss overview with accounts, sum and balance lists, and preliminary balance sheet is transmitted monthly by the administrative service. The financial documents are regularly checked by the association's auditor, Mr. Gröne.
All documents and receipts are kept in a locked cupboard in the management office.
Documents with the personal details of the children and their families, such as care contracts, medical documents, and reports from support centers, are kept in suspension files in a locked office container. Only the management and the board have access to this.
Development reports and minutes of parent interviews conducted with the reference educators are kept in a locked cupboard in the staff room. Specialists only receive access to this after consultation with the management.
Documents with the personal details of the employees are kept in folders in a locked cupboard. Documents regarding employment contracts, other agreements, and entries are only accessible to the board.
Documents regarding working hours recording, certificates of incapacity for work, and employee interviews are only accessible to the management and the deputy management.
Photos of the children are stored on the management's computer. This is password-protected and only accessible to the management and the deputy management.
Photos of children who have left are deleted.
Documents and files that do not concern the current kindergarten year are kept in locked cupboards in the attic. Documents of children who have left are destroyed (shredded) after one year.