Childcare
Innovative concepts for childcare
For higher education concepts and universities that advertise themselves as “particularly family-friendly”, it is essential to provide childcare for students and staff in line with demand. This is because the approximately 3,000 students with children in Münster in particular need a comprehensive, quantitative expansion of the most flexible and high-quality childcare provision possible due to the reform of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses and the resulting “concentration of studies”.
Kita Tausendfüßler
The qualified care at the Kita Tausendfüßler is currently provided by a total of 18 specialist staff. These include a manager, 14 nursery nurses and one nursery teacher, who also manage the groups, a children’s nurse and a recognized intern. In addition, a housekeeper ensures that the children receive a physiologically valuable diet based on the latest findings.
Since 01.08.2008, staffing has been realized in accordance with the Children’s Education Act of the state of NRW (KiBiZ). As part of the adjustments in accordance with KiBiZ, two more children have been cared for in the Kita Tausendfüßler since 2008. Social criteria are always decisive in the allocation of childcare places. 39 places are reserved for children of students and 9 places are available for children of parents who are not students.
The year 2022 was also heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, even if more freedom was allowed. The get-to-know-you afternoons and parents’ evenings took place on one of the daycare playgrounds. This gave the “new” and “old” families the opportunity to get to know each other in peace and quiet without putting themselves in danger.
Dwarf room
Whether hourly care or all-day care with breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack, the Zwergenstübchen provides qualified care and educational support from specialist staff. Currently, 10 children and, in emergencies, an additional child aged between 8 months and 3 years can find child-friendly space and stimulating care content here.
With the Zwergenstübchen, students are offered a childcare facility that helps them to avoid interruptions to their studies as far as possible.
The facility is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. In individual cases, a separate agreement can be made for the care of a child outside the core hours from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm.
As the Zwergenstübchen does not have an outdoor area, the specialist staff take the children on numerous excursions. We often visit the nearby playgrounds, but there are also trips to the weekly market or a strawberry field.
Parents’ events were also held again in 2022. In addition to two small get-togethers on a playground and a lantern parade, a large summer party for current and former children and their parents took place in summer 2022 to mark the 100th anniversary of Studierendenwerk Münster in the da Vinci canteen and on the meadow behind it. Of course, outsiders and interested parents were also invited to this party.
Kita Chamäleon
The Kita Chamäleon at Rudolf-Harbig-Weg 38a currently has space for 50 children between the ages of one and six. The children are cared for according to the latest pedagogical criteria in rooms designed for this purpose in three toddler groups and one over-3 group. 32 of the childcare places are primarily offered to children of students, with a further 10 places available for children from Münster and a further 8 places for children of university staff.
The childcare team at the daycare center is led by a qualified social education worker. Four nursery nurses also work here as group leaders and 9 nursery nurses as full-time or part-time educational specialists. The team is complemented by a PIA trainee and a cook.
The year 2022 continued to be shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. The facility resumed regular operations under coronavirus conditions. Parents’ evenings to get to know each other and joint activities in the outdoor area, such as the lantern parties, were possible again. Our first summer festival after coronavirus coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Studierendenwerk Münster and was celebrated with a large funfair.
