Concepts and Services
The introduction of all-day schools transformed schools into an exceptional environment for children to learn and develop. Children spend more time at school, during which they don’t just learn and progress during lessons, but also develop and strengthen their particular individual talents, interests and competencies.
On behalf of the City of Heidelberg, päd-aktiv has been responsible for offering a wide range of leisure and academic programmes at Heidelberg's all-day state primary schools: breakfast club, energy break time supervision, dispute settlement, lunch break organisation, as well as practice, academic and leisure activities. These services vary depending on the location and focus of the school.
Our work lays great importance on the formation of a close working relationship with school management, teaching staff and other parties involved in school life. This means that the various programmes and the way they are integrated into the overall concept of the all-day school are constantly being coordinated and developed.
päd-aktiv also organises and coordinates childcare services for two communities around Heidelberg. This complements primary schools with fixed hours and also puts their own mark on school life. Depending on their requirements, parents can choose from services including leisure and creative time, hot lunches and homework supervision.
päd-aktiv offers flexible, daily supervision in the morning from 7:30 am and until 5:00 pm after primary school with fixed hours at the >> Elsenztalschule in the municipality of Bammental.
At the >> Christian-Morgenstern Grundschule in Wilhelmsfeld päd-aktiv childcare services begin at 7:00 am and finish at the end of lessons at 4:00 pm.
Childcare services are only available on school days.
The primary school special needs class (GFK) is a special service for children who have reached school age but have been deferred from attending school for one year due to various reasons. The GFK is designed to provide a one-year interim step between daycare facilities and primary school. Free, guided play prepares children for a good start to school life. Children receive personal, holistic developmental support through tailored activities in different areas. Age-appropriate play, creative and sports activities nurture social skills and encourage children’s personal development.
The following activities feature on the GFK group's weekly development plan:
- Painting and design
- Mathematical development
- Observation exercises
- Language development
- Music and rhythm
- Literacy
Times
Monday to Friday during term-time
11:45 am - 1:30 pm with lunch
11:45 am - 2:30 pm with lunch
11:45 am - 3:30 pm with lunch and homework supervision
11:45 am - 4:30 pm with lunch and homework supervision
A wide range of leisure, creativity and exercise activities await children to make their time at the facility exciting and diverse. These may include games, musical and handicraft activities, sports, relaxation exercises, discussion groups or free play.
The form of care includes age-appropriate activities and takes children’s different preferences and needs into account.
Group activities are targeted at primary school age. Both age-specific and group-based activities are offered that promote exercise, relaxation and curiosity.
As part of childcare services at Heidelberg's primary schools, päd-aktiv offers hot lunches at all schools. The main aim of this initiative is to provide children with regular healthy meals. The number of children using this service has grown consistently and has almost doubled in the last 10 years.
Lunch is both a fixed part of daily life as well as a place to learn from and communicate with others. Eating communally is fun and children learn cultural table manners and customs in a natural way.
Shared rules that everyone follows safeguard processes before, during and after meals. Where possible to do so, children can help by providing lunch table services (setting and clearing the table). This teaches them to take responsibility for the community and actively creates a pleasant environment. Sustainability is also a key topic during lunch. Avoiding leftovers and minimising food waste is an educational task that is continuously worked on with the children.
A healthy diet forms the basis for learning and development, which is why school meals follow the guidelines laid out by the German Nutrition Society (DGE). The meal options vary each day and offer children the chance to identify various foods through their appearance and taste. A vegetarian dish is also included on the menu each day. Meal plans are changed every four to six weeks.
päd-aktiv currently works with the following caterers: Vit-Catering, Marea-Catering, apetito-Catering and apetito-AG.
The homework supervision club supports children in completing their homework in collaboration with schools and parents. After lunch, children are allocated a one-hour slot for completing homework. In small groups of up to 10 children (11 children for wrap-around care), the educational staff help children to independently complete their homework in a focussed setting. Successfully completing homework increases a child's sense of self-worth and awareness, supporting their personal development.
For wrap-around care, the homework period is extended by half an hour. This gives children extra time to repeat and consolidate lesson topics.
Additional homework help is provided at certain Heidelberg primary schools. This initiative receives federal state funding and is primarily aimed at immigrant children, enabling them to learn German and fully participate in lessons. Featuring specific exercises such as active reading, comprehension tasks and game-based activities, students are supported in small groups of up to seven children. This makes it easier for children to learn German and fully participate in lessons. This is carried out in close collaboration with parents and regular teaching staff.
As a youth welfare agency, päd-aktiv is involved in social work in schools. Commissioned by the city of Heidelberg, the first pilot scheme started at a Heidelberg primary school when school social work was first introduced at Emmertsgrund primary school back in 1997. The association now actively provides additional primary services at the International School Heidelberg and Bahnstadt all-day school.
Social work is an integral part of daily school life. The aim is to effectively promote the integration of children in schools and communities, and to counteract any processes which lead to exclusion. The comprehensive, preventative approach takes all children in a school into consideration, working closely with staff, parents and local community institutions.
The key tasks of school social work are:
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case work and counselling for individuals in need
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socio-educational group work, projects and work with school classes
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integration within the school
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cooperation outside of school
For the 2021/22 and 2022/23 school years, Päd-aktiv e. V., a long-standing, reliable partner of the city of Heidelberg, is launching a pilot scheme to organise and implement 'Continuous language development' in primary schools and at the special education school Marie-Marcks-Schule.
- 5,000 language development lessons
- 54 groups
Over the next two years, language development will take place at the following 15 sites:
>> Albert-Schweizer-Schule, >> Eichendorffschule, >> Friedrich-Ebertschule, >> Fröbelschule, >> Grundschule Bahnstadt, >> Grundschule Emmertsgrund, >> Wilckensschule, >> Heiligenbergschule, >> Schlierbach-Grundschule, >> Landhausschule, >> Waldparkschule, >> Geschwister-Scholl-Schule, >> IGH, >> Marie-Marcks-Schule