Participation
Co-determination opportunities for children
Children have a right to co-determination! We see it as our task to live democracy with children and to open up opportunities for them to participate. We recognize children as full and competent human beings. We take their needs and wishes seriously and respond to them. Giving young children an opportunity for co-determination means, above all, listening to their messages, asking them about their wishes, and respecting their decisions, as long as this is not accompanied by obvious threats to the children.
Participation in decisions
At our Uni daycare centers, children are involved in decisions that affect them in a way that is appropriate to their age. We therefore decide together about destinations for excursions, room design, topics for projects and many other things. Children have the need to participate, to change, to communicate and we offer them a safe environment to learn these skills. At the same time, the children learn in this way that their interests are heard and that their opinion counts!
Involvement in everyday tasks
We involve the children in everyday tasks and how to perform them. For example, the children are allowed to choose the songs in the singing circle, choose their own seat at the dinner table, and decide who will change their diapers. Especially during free play, the children have a great deal of freedom in choosing their play partner, the play material, the duration of the game or the play environment. Our goal is a democratic upbringing and education from the very beginning: The children should experience their self-efficacy and experience themselves as shapers of their lives.
Constitution of the Kita Zaubergarten on children's rights
The Uni-Kita Zaubergarten has its own constitution, which regulates the participation rights of the children in the daycare center. Children and professionals meet in various constellations - the "Zaubertreff", the "Kinderkonferenz" and the "Stammgruppe" - to vote on upcoming decisions. Here, the children practice discussing, negotiating solutions and making agreements. At the same time, a foundation is laid for democratic understanding.