Accompanying children in an appreciative manner

At the fictional Kunterbunt daycare center, teacher Simone Haupt spends her days mediating conflicts and comforting children. “Many children bring family worries, insecurities, or emotional turmoil with them to daycare, and that’s when I’m especially challenged to respond appropriately and provide them with support and affection,” says the equally fictional teacher. This fictional example illustrates the emotional strain to which early childhood educators are exposed in their demanding work. But in addition to this awareness of the needs of individual children, there are further demands. Early childhood educators are responsible for:

• implementing the educational plan
• inclusive approaches
• the integration of children from refugee families or with a migrant background
• language development and managing multilingualism
• educational work under adverse conditions (staff-to-child ratios, facilities, extended hours, compensation, etc.)

Systemic therapist, training therapist, and supervisor Rita Freitag explored the questions of whether and how early childhood educators are able to meet these challenges while designing a new continuing education program for early childhood educators. “Professionals in daycare centers and after-school care facilities need sources of energy and opportunities for facilitated professional and methodological exchange. To this end, the new part-time continuing education program ‘Systemic Work in Nurseries, Daycare Centers, and After-School Care Facilities’ will be offered at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences starting in August 2016.” The instructors support participants in analyzing and managing their daily work and train them in new methods for holistic child care and collaboration with parents and families. This involves drawing on both psychological and neurological insights as well as specific methods from constellation work and counseling.

Participants can expect a mix of methodology, self-awareness exercises, and supervision. The continuing education program lasts two years and is designed to be taken while working. Upon completion, participants will receive a university degree “Systemic Counselor, Systemic Educator,” which receives recognition from the Federal Association of DGsP.

Information is available on the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences website at www.hszg.de/weiterbildung and in the brochure, which can also be requested by calling the university at 03581/3744356.