The corona lockdown is a severe test of endurance for public life - especially for daycare centers.
In the Protestant kindergarten "Rainbow" one tries to counteract the contact restrictions with the use of digital media.
But the pandemic is leaving its mark on the children.
Peißenberg
- It stays that way: Kindergartens still fall under the lockdown regulations.
However, that does not mean that the daycare centers are completely closed - by no means: “A completely wrong picture is being conveyed,” says Betina Kreutzer, the “Rainbow” head.
According to the statistics, the daycare centers are sometimes even up to 80 percent occupied - in "emergency operation" for those children whose parents, for example, work in systemically relevant professions.
The “rainbow” kindergarten, which could normally provide 75 places, is currently running with around a quarter of the children.
They are divided into three isolated groups between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. - “in order to keep the chains of infection low in an emergency”, as Kreutzer explains.
So far everything has gone well: “Thank God we haven't had a Corona case yet,” reports Kreutzer: “We have great parents who are very reliable and responsible.
If a child has a cold or a cough, it stays at home. ”But the praise also goes in the other direction.
“During the pandemic, the 'rainbow' kindergarten turned out to be an innovative pioneer,” enthuses Verena Butschal.
The real estate agent, who lives with her family on the Eberlhof, has registered her four-year-old son Vinzenz in the emergency operation: “My husband and I are employed.
It wouldn't be possible any other way. ”Butschal is extremely grateful to Kreutzer's twelve-person team of educators.
She describes the care work as “outstanding” - and she has already expressed her praise in a thank you letter and with a 300 euro donation: “That is only a minor thing, but it was intended as an appreciation.
The exemplary commitment of the rainbow team is not only a blessing for us parents, especially the little ones benefit from it, ”emphasizes Butschal.
The use of digital media is an important part of the current “rainbow” operating concept.
Via a Kita-Info-App, which was initially financed by funds from the Parents' Council and is now subsidized by the state, parents receive daily updates, greetings and campaigns conveniently on their mobile phones - with a direct feedback function if required.
“We didn't want to set up a mess of paper.
Almost all parents are now connected to the app, ”reports Kreutzer.
And then there has been the daily “morning circle” since mid-January, which should also reach children who are not integrated into the emergency operation via the zoom conference.
For 20 minutes, people sing, talk and learn through play.
Initially, the “emergency operation children” were also there, but that aroused “sadness” in the children sitting in front of the PC at home, as Kreutzer explains: “Now we are sending caregivers from the office alone so that the children at home don't believe them only have a supporting role. "
The digital offer is well received by children and parents: "The response is great," Kreutzer proudly states.
All of this is new territory for the kindergarten: "Up until Corona, the opinion was that all digital media should be kept out of the day-care centers," explains Kreutzer: "But we thought what schools can do, we can do that too."
Nevertheless: digital communication channels are not a complete replacement in the long run.
Kreutzer observed that the pandemic triggered a kind of “sadness” in the children: “The separation from friends, the lack of contact, that does something to the children - much more in the second lockdown than in the first.
The lightheartedness with the children is lost ”, analyzes the“ Rainbow ”leader.
Kreutzer describes it as "difficult" to find the balance between child and employee health protection and the need for educational work.
By the way, she only took over the daycare management in March 2020, so in this role she only knows pandemic times.
But Kreutzer tries to see the positive side of the situation: "Nothing can blow me away that quickly."
