At profawo's kids & co daycare centres, we focus entirely on the individual development and security of each child. Our focus is not only on care, but also on the loving support of empathetic employees who build up a trusting relationship with the children. In an atmosphere of security and safety, we offer a stimulating developmental environment that encourages your child to curiously explore the world and discover their own abilities.
Good quality in early childhood care is of enormous importance and we are aware of our responsibility and role in it. In all our kids & co daycare centres in Bern, Zurich, Suisse romande as well as in our licensed establishments in Basel, we implement our high-quality pedagogical concept and stand for high pedagogical quality. Our pedagogical concept was evaluated by the Marie Meierhofer Institute for the Child (MMI). We regularly reflect on this and integrate practical experience and the latest research findings. Our more than 20 years of experience in childcare support us in this.
Each region has a specially created position – the “kids & co manager”. The manager ensures that all employees of kids & co implement the principles of our educational concept in their daily work. This enables us to achieve our high and uniform quality standards. The care personnel as well as the management of the daycare centres are regularly trained and exchange information in different settings within the daycare centres and also across the daycare centres. The company management is available as a point of contact for both employees and parents.
Basic principles and orientation
Our educational work is based on the principles of the "Orientation Framework for Early Childhood Education, Care and Upbringing in Switzerland". In this framework, education is understood as the child's contribution to his or her development by forming his or her own picture of the world. Care is understood as the social support, care, nurturing and protection of children as well as the development of relationships. Education, on the other hand, refers to the creation of a stimulating environment in which adults provide children with learning opportunities. All three terms are regarded as equally important and are mutually dependent.
Open communication, participative processes and a supportive environment create conditions that promote the well-being and development of each individual child.
Through continuous reflection, training and collaboration with the children, their families and the community, we work to create an environment in which each child can reach their full potential.
Unique educational experiences
Our pedagogical concept is based on the conviction that children learn best when they are in a good relationship and have a stimulating learning environment. We therefore place great importance on clear rituals, rules and boundaries that give children guidance and help them to feel secure. We create experiential spaces in which the children can try out different roles and experience both frustration and success. By teaching learning content through primary experiences and real actions, we not only promote the children's knowledge, but also their social relationships.
Connection to nature and environmental awareness
Nature plays a central role in children's development, which is why we attach great importance to ensuring that they regularly spend time outdoors and can experience nature up close. Through our program, children not only learn about nature, but also how to respect and protect it. We firmly believe that a strong environmental awareness should be encouraged from a young age to enable sustainable action in later life.
Focus on health and well-being
Promoting children's health is an essential part of everyday daycare. The children are encouraged to develop resources and skills to promote healthy behaviour. This includes sufficient exercise and a balanced, healthy diet, sufficient rest periods, as well as social and emotional well-being. In all of our kids & co facilities, we make sure to provide a healthy, balanced and seasonal diet. The meals for the kids & co facilities are cooked by trained and experienced chefs or supplied by selected partners.
Healthy eating has an important place in the daycare centre's daily routine. Eating situations are deliberately designed as a communal experience and thus promote a sense of belonging among all those involved. Eating together also encourages the children to try new foods and thus expands their sense of taste. Our nutritional concept is based on the principles of our educational concept as well as the guidelines of "fourchette verte" and the "Swiss Society for Nutrition".
Social integration and diversity
The environments in which children grow up today are very complex and diverse. Differences in gender, age, origin, culture, religion as well as individual talents and developmental prerequisites enrich and influence the children's learning and socialization processes.
It is important to us that every child feels accepted and valued. Through targeted measures, we promote social integration and strengthen the self-esteem of each individual child. Our children learn early on to see diversity as an enrichment and to treat each other with respect.
Participation
The participation of children in everyday decisions at the daycare centre gives them the opportunity to experience themselves as self-effective. In our daycare centres, we recognize children as fully-fledged members of society from the very beginning, who are involved in decision-making processes in accordance with their age and developmental needs to express their opinions and participate.
Quality assurance and further development
Ensuring solid structures for the smooth operation of the daycare centre is a basic prerequisite for pedagogical quality. The basis of quality management is openness and a positive attitude towards change as well as the understanding of being a learning organization that reacts to internal and external stimuli and is always willing to continuously develop and jointly maintain the quality of educational work. Quality is understood as a process and is not defined by a single, static definition.
Working in partnership
In a development folder (portfolio), entries are regularly made which are important for the child and its development and which it associates with joy, interest, success and self-efficacy. This portfolio is not only a tool for documenting the children's developmental steps, but also a valuable means of communication between parents, guardians, staff and children. It serves as a clear basis for discussing the developmental status, strengths and interests of each child. Specific examples from the portfolio give parents and guardians an insight into their child's personal development and learning process. Special events or milestones can be documented by the parents themselves, which further strengthens the partnership between parents and the daycare centre. In this way, the portfolio becomes an instrument that not only records the child's development, but also promotes close ties and trust between the family and the daycare centre.
