Democracy in Kindergarten

Can children already learn democratic values in kindergarten? The federal pilot project, “Learning Democracy in Kindergarten,” seeks an answer. This programme imparts democratic values through teaching children to respect each other, involving them in all aspects of life in kindergarten, and encouraging them to act independently and resolve conflicts themselves. The programme trains kindergarten educators to integrate basic democratic values into everyday life instead of trying to teach them.

 

Kindergarten thus becomes a learning place for democratic values where children can

 

• take part in decision-making and shape their own life
• strengthen their sense of personal responsibility
• learn to be part of a community
• learn to solve conflicts constructively
• experience the feeling of being able to take their life into their own hands

 

The programme is set up as follows:

Practical work: Moderators take on the role of external facilitators and initiate together with the educators the development of quality standards within kindergartens.

 

Workshops: both moderators and educators work together on themes surrounding the topics of social and democratic participation in childhood. Experts from the Evangelical University for Social Studies, Dresden also take part in the workshops and support the programme.

 

 

Partners

Contact and further information:

Jens Hoffsommer

Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendstiftung
Regionalstelle Sachsen

Email: jens.hoffsommer [at] dkjs.de

Tel.: 0351 – 899 600 25
Fax: 0351 – 804 96 71

Internet: www.demokratisches-sach...

Info Material:
Infoflyer_demokratie_01.pdf (2.2 MB)