Open concept - what's behind it? #Kitatalk - stepfolio blog

The kindergarten works according to the open concept – this statement often causes question marks, skepticism and rejection among parents and educators. There is often the fear that the children’s needs will be neglected, children will be overlooked and will not find a foothold.

For many, openness is equated with chaos. But, is this really the truth? What does open work in the daycare mean? And much more: what open work does not mean?

#Part 4: Open concept in the daycare

“Open work means that all children do it, what they want and run around everywhere. "

Carola, who works according to the open concept in her daycare, has heard this prejudice several times.

“Of course, the spatial opening is a visible sign of the open concept. Because differentially designed and used spaces open up more diverse spaces for children to experience. The children can follow their interests. But the open concept goes far beyond the spatial opening. Other visible signs of an open concept are the organizational opening, flexibility of structures and permeability of borders. "

A total of 61 children aged 0-6 are looked after in Carola’s facility. Although all children are together in one house, there is also a separation between crèche and kindergarten due to the quite individual needs of children over 3 and under 3 years.

Here, too, the transition is not necessarily made on the third birthday of a child, but based on the child’s level of development.

The spatial opening is just a feature of the open job.

Here alone you see an important feature of open work that is often misunderstood. We work according to the needs of the children.

And so a separation can also make sense in open work, if it allows you to respond better to individuality.

In the facility itself there is a spatial separation between kindergarten and crèche, which is also permeable.

So, you don’t have to go to another floor or house. We have a shared dining area and garden. Likewise, crib children can play in kindergarten if they want to – and of course the other way around.

I am often asked what makes open work so special for us.

I always name three essential aspects (these can be found in "Insights into Open Work" (2006) by Gerlinde Lill):

The pedagogical approach

Open work is primarily a pedagogical concept. A concept that allows new perspectives and perspectives. That lives from a constant reflection of the work and thus includes a rethink and a new direction of action.

Always related to the offers and needs of the children. Thus, in addition to the visible aspects of the open concept, there are also some invisible signs that go hand in hand with a changed attitude.

But what does that mean in concrete terms for day-to-day nursery life??

**On "But we’ve always done it that way!" we have not got that!**

The first thing I give to my team, new employees and parents is the following statement: We support the children in their individual development with our attitude. For us, this means that we cannot assume that every child is doing the same good. "We have always done it this way" is not allowed with us!

Every child is different!

After all, we always have to deal with other children who have their own individual level of development and who are constantly developing. The constant reflection of thought and action patterns is a must. We try to think openly, not in a retracted structure.

We think of our offer and pedagogical action from the experience of the children. That means watching and listening a lot. Because otherwise it is not possible to discover the unusual and unusual. Every single child offers a lot. But we can only see this if the child also has a space in which he can freely experience feeling, thinking, researching, telling and showing us.

The open concept implies a change in the educational role understanding. It builds on the idea of participation, which sees the children as actors and shapers of their own development. What that means for educational work?

Basically, the explanation sounds rather banal: it is about a changed understanding of the relationship between adults and children. The children are taken seriously as experts in their own lives and the adults trust in the children’s development potential. The children’s right of self-determination is safeguarded against that of adults.

The children’s opinion is taken seriously and the day care center is designed with them. In order for the children to be able to help shape their living space in a truly self-determined way, a great deal of freedom is required. The more freedom the children have, the more the educational processes are controlled by the individual driving force.

The open concept needs reflection, new perspectives and rethinking

You know that: A child wants to experience it himself. It wants to expand its competencies independently. Every child is proud when they have created or designed something. And that is exactly why the changed understanding of roles is so important! A child does not need any kindergarten teachers who give it directions and take answers.

The child needs adults who are patient, wait and give small impulses that enable them to find solutions, to experiment and to make their own experiences. The adults – whether parents or educators – follow the impulses of the children. They accompany and support the children.

“The children then only do what they want!

Chaos is inevitable! "

Yes, I’ve heard this statement before. But no, that’s not what happens! Because the idea of participation continues. In participleThe children experience atoric moments in a community in which they themselves, their ideas and needs find a place. The children also learn to be considerate of one another such as border to recognize and accept others. hand This experience then goes hand in hand with the gradual expansion of the scope for action and assumption of responsibility.

The children find their own structures. That is why it is so important to have permeable boundaries and flexible structures in an open concept. Because a well-established structure can make the children restless a few weeks later due to tiny changes.

There are phases when the children need a lot of stability, a lot of rest and opportunities for retreat. In such phases, for example, we close our doors and have fixed rooms and caregivers for the children. We also worked out rules for the rest periods together with the children. We have represented these with symbols so that the children can also recognize their own rules – this of course makes it much easier to stick to them. Another example would be the design of lunch. There are children here who suddenly have a different sleeping pattern and almost fall asleep while eating. In such moments there is no point in trying to keep the child awake. This is tiring for the child, the educators and other children. It is easier to adjust meal times and eat in layers that respond to the different rhythms of the children. I would think of countless other examples here …

The open concept needs reflection, new perspectives and rethinking

This flexibility in the structures is of course only possible if the entire team is very willing to cooperate, tasks are taken on together and the pedagogical action is carried out jointly.

A key factor here is an open and lively communication culture. The day-to-day planning and organization of the day-care center must be carried out together. This is the only way to ensure that the entire team pulls together and that the same goals are pursued. In addition to coordinating who is where, when and who is responsible for what, above all the exchange about the children must be part of everyday life.

Transparency in everyday work is required to prevent misunderstandings and to always act as a team. This gives children and families security and creates trust. It’s about trust and shared responsibility.