We share the common goal of supporting children in their language, social, and emotional development in an age-appropriate manner through our daycare care.
In order to provide the children entrusted to us with a place of security, play, discovery, and development, we at ‘Hands for Kids Daycare & After-School Care’ work hand in hand. We share the common goal of supporting children in their language, social, and emotional development in an age-appropriate manner through our daycare care.
The children are supported in their individual development processes. We offer them relationships and security, creating a sense of comfort and trust.
We are lucky to have the Hackenberg forest in our immediate vicinity. We just have to cross the road and we're there. The forest and nature give children the opportunity to let off steam. To play and move around in an open space without boundaries. This allows them to unleash their creativity, as it is refreshing to play without pre-made toys. Because it's good to play without prefabricated materials. The children can build something themselves with sticks and natural materials: a tent, a dam, a bed of leaves. They begin to develop their own games and communicate with the other children. Walking over sticks and stones develops many gross motor skills, such as the sense of balance. The fresh air in the forest and the green of the trees have been proven to help combat stress and anxiety. It is also nice to observe the changes in nature and the animals that can be found in it with the children. This helps them feel connected to nature and understand that they are a part of it.
There are also large vats directly in front of our house for growing fruit and vegetables. The children can help us grow small seeds in spring, which we then plant in our garden in early spring. This allows the children to fully immerse themselves in nature and learn to respect and understand the environment and other living beings. We teach them the value of nature and the importance of taking good care of it. Nature is worth protecting because it provides us with everything we need to live, and we should live in harmony with it. From seed to fruit, we observe the process of food growth, helping the children develop an appreciation for food. You can find out how difficult it is to grow fruit and vegetables yourself in our own small garden. The loving care and consistent attention required for plants teach the children how delicate the balance of a plant and its environment is, and how much effort it takes to grow one. This fosters respect for nature and instills a sense of responsibility in them.
We also have our own playground and the large Moosburg Playground with a nearby recreation area and the Moosburg Ruins directly behind our building. Additionally, there is a football pitch, a public playing field, and many walking paths far from the main road. These resources provide us with ample opportunities to allow the children to expend their energy freely every day.
Bilingual
In our crèche, your child may have their first contact with a foreign language.
But don't worry. Your child will integrate well with us, even without previous experience of English. We introduce children to foreign languages through activities that are accompanied by language in everyday life. This is done without pressure or stress. It is important to encourage the children to think for themselves so that they become curious, ask questions, and thus use the new language. The new vocabulary is taught by discussing funny picture cards and picture books. We sing songs, play finger games, and recite rhymes. The language is used in everyday situations through exchanges with the caregivers and other children. There is also musical accompaniment to routine activities such as tidying up, washing hands, and eating. The child's brain is like a sponge and absorbs language subconsciously. Children often understand the basic content in another language very quickly. Friendships that develop in the group with other children stimulate the desire to communicate in the foreign language. Our bilingual program is not only suitable for newcomers but also for native speakers.
German
For children who do not yet speak German, language development is especially important to us. We support these children in acquiring the German language by naming things correctly and verbally explaining our actions. At the same time, we give the children time and space to express themselves in their own way and share their opinions.
We are aware of our role as language models and act accordingly. Rhymes, songs, stories, and role-playing games provide diverse opportunities to support children in their language development and inspire a love for language.
We actively integrate children who speak other languages and promote their understanding of German – for a successful start to kindergarten. Our German-language programme is aimed at children who grow up in multilingual environments and wish to integrate smoothly into the Swiss school system.
For children who are about to start kindergarten, we recommend attending the German group. Here, children are specifically prepared for kindergarten, making it easier for them to settle in later. Of course, this group is also suitable for German-speaking children.
Our goal is to actively promote language acquisition and understanding, so that all children – regardless of their mother tongue – can settle into our daycare quickly and comfortably.
The Hands for Kids daycare uses the Berlin Model for a gentle and trustful transition for the children. It takes time to adjust to something new and feel comfortable with it. Therefore, the transition period for the child, the parents, and the caregivers is very important. This period should be as smooth as possible. Typically, the transition period lasts 6 days, spread over 2 weeks, and begins gradually, starting with a few hours. The duration of the transition period depends on the child’s behaviour and can thus be individually adjusted. Every child has different needs, habits, relationships, preferences, and feelings, and we aim to meet these. Our highest goal is for your child to feel comfortable and secure with us.
We care for our infants and toddlers in two mixed-age groups, as we have found that both older and younger children benefit greatly from each other. Babies need role models from whom they can learn, and older children develop more empathy, responsibility, and social engagement when interacting with babies. Age-appropriate activities are carried out in a playful way, in which all children can participate. The promotion of development and the education towards independence play a major role in this.
We have specifically designed our facilities to meet the individual needs of our children. We provide the children with a movement room, a quiet/relaxation area, a music corner, a Montessori corner, a creative area, a play area, and much more. The rooms are regularly rearranged to reflect the current themes of the children, displaying their work and artworks. Of course, we also go outside. The playground, the courtyard for riding Bobby cars, the allotment garden, the forest, the football pitch, the recreational area with Moosburg, and the Moosburg playground are all just a few steps away.
We prepare our meals fresh every day. The children are welcome to help us with this. They always include seasonal vegetables and fruits. The side dishes change daily. Meat and fish, as well as vegetarian dishes, are alternated weekly. The weekly menu plans, which are developed for this purpose, are displayed on the parents' information board and repeat every 8 weeks. As role models, we ensure clear table rules to create a calm and pleasant dining atmosphere. The meals we share together allow the children to experience community and exchange with one another and with adults. This should take place in a relaxed atmosphere and provide the child with the experience that eating can be enjoyable and pleasurable. It should expand their sensory experiences and foster their independence. We value a healthy diet with plenty of local and seasonal foods. Does your child not like vegetables? That's okay. We aim to encourage children to try different foods, but each child decides for themselves what and how much they want to eat.
Within our capabilities, we consider religions and dietary preferences. However, please bring special allergy-friendly foods yourself. Food intolerances and allergies are, of course, handled with the utmost care. Please provide us with this important information during the settling-in period.
We also give special consideration to the food for the youngest children. We offer seasonal vegetable and fruit purees. These can be partially enriched with cereals and milk supplements brought by you as parents. We prepare the baby food fresh. Do you still give breast milk or formula? Feel free to bring it along.
The most important thing for us is the safety of the children and hygienic practices, which are ensured by our staff. With clearly defined procedures and safety precautions, we are prepared to respond quickly and safely in the event of an emergency (accident, fire, etc.). A first aid kit is always within reach.
We adhere to food safety legislation and work cleanly with food, equipment, and facilities. Hygiene and safety quality are ensured through cleaning schedules and responsibility plans.
• Fire extinguisher
• Socket covers
• Fall protection for play equipment
and discuss with us what the optimal care solution is for your individual family situation.
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