Thanks to the cooperation between the city of Salzgitter, the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation and the Catholic Family Education Center, as well as partial funding from the Integration through Enculturation (NBank) project, 13 participants in the "Early Excellence Specialist" (EEC) certification course have now been able to receive their certificates. Two participants were unable to attend.
Sandra Sorrentino, daycare advisor for the city of Salzgitter, welcomed the graduates and the daycare center managers on behalf of the head of the social services department, Dr. Dirk Härdrich. "We know how much work you have to do in the daycare centers and family centers," she addressed the participants, adding that their interest and the results of their work, which they had shown in their final presentations, were all the more impressive. The director of the Catholic Family Education Center (FABI) reported that she had learned in personal conversations with the course participants that they had not only benefited from the training for their daycare center, but also personally. "They bring a well-stocked toolbox back to their facility," she emphasized.
According to Andreas Reith from the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation, the "Specialist for Early Excellence" training course is a pilot project of the foundation. It is the first course of its kind to be offered in Salzgitter in Germany. He thanked the city of Salzgitter, but also the local education providers and the daycare center managers: "Thank you for getting involved in the EE experiment."
The course was launched in October 2021 with 18 educational professionals from 12 different daycare facilities. These included employees from the family centers, but also from other family daycare centers in Salzgitter. It comprised five modules lasting 13.5 days with 108 theoretical teaching units and exemplary practical implementation.
The participants were able to expand their specialist knowledge and were given ideas and examples of how they can implement EE in practice. This gave them a new perspective on their work. This also included how they assess the children in their care after the training. In line with the EE principle that "every child is unique and deserves individual support in which the resources of each individual are recognized and promoted". This also includes involving parents more intensively in the educational work of their children and communicating the newly acquired perspective to colleagues in the facilities.
But the courses will not stop there. To ensure that the new impetus gained during the training is consolidated and further developed by the participants, an "Early Excellence Professionals" working group will soon be formed. The aim is not only to safeguard the quality gained through EE, but also to develop it further so that as many children and their families as possible can benefit from it.
Background information:
What is Early Excellence (EEC)?
In their day-to-day work with children and parents, the family centers in Salzgitter have found that the pedagogical "Early Excellence Concept" is a good starting point for equipping children and families with personal resilience against life crises. Another goal is to promote the independence and self-organization of families in socially disadvantaged environments.
How was the training program in Salzgitter financed?
The course was financed by the city of Salzgitter and the NBank's "Inclusion through deculturation" project.
What is the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation?
The establishment of EECs in Germany is the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation's most extensive project in the field of education.
The Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation is involved in a wide range of activities in accordance with the founder's wishes:
Using the dividend income from the foundation assets of Dürr AG shares, it promotes and finances projects in three areas: Education and social welfare, art and culture with a focus on German-language theater, and science and research. With these three foundation purposes, it provides different impulses for society.
Why is the foundation involved in Salzgitter?
The foundation puts it this way: "The family centers in Salzgitter are constantly evolving and are open to new influences that enable the further development of their work. The high level of commitment shown by the staff at the centers has prompted the Berlin-based "Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation" to provide funding to support the valuable work at the facilities.
