In the children’s education centers of the city of Paderborn there is therefore the additional resource of school-related social work. “The school social worker is an important point of contact for all children, parents and educational specialists and teachers and forms the central thread in the transition between daycare and elementary school”, emphasizes Britta Vollmann, coordinator at the Kind & Ko education office and responsible for accompanying the transition.
The children experience the advantages of a children’s education center, for example, in projects such as “social learning”, in which daycare and school children are regularly strengthened in their social and emotional skills. In addition, the focus is on practical activities in “learning workshops” or in a “project week”, where daycare and school children learn, research and experiment together.
“These campaigns enable us to build a trusting collaboration with the children,” says Kerstin Liggesmeier, school social worker in the Paderborn children’s education center at the Stephanusschule with the two municipal daycare centers Lange Wenne and Fontane.
Another building block in everyday work is the support, advice and accompaniment of children and parents in special situations. The school social workers hold discussions with parents or take part in discussions with day care centers and primary schools.
The Sande children’s education center consists of the Sande elementary school, the municipal day care center Kinderhaus am Lippesee, the municipal day care center Sande and the Catholic St. Marien day care center. The school social worker Magdalena Parakenings explains her work there: “It is important to us that we advise the parents in a goal-oriented manner during the transition period and respond to personal questions in order to work together in the interests of the children”.
In the current situation, not all actions can take place as usual, but the offers are flexibly adapted to the pandemic situation. The school social workers have found solutions for making contact with the children: for example, visits to the outside area of the daycare center, writing letters or the adapted offer of social learning in small groups of daycare children.
Of course, there will still be advice for parents and educational professionals. The social workers in the primary schools can be reached by phone and email. The Kind & Ko education office is also available at any time for general questions about transition planning.
“I am pleased that the joint educational work in daycare and elementary school is being continued and developed – especially in this special time,” says Wolfgang Walter, the city’s social and school department head. The school social workers in the children’s education centers are the main thread and have created their own flyer with their specific tasks. This can be requested from the respective children’s education centers and the Kind & Ko education office.
Those interested can find more information online on the website www.kindundko-paderborn.de
or by phone at 05251 / 88-11183.
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