What child care services are available?
Our child care centre currently provides space for 140 children between the ages of six months and six years whose parents work or study at the University of Konstanz.
In addition to regular services, the Kinderhaus offers flexible child care models.
- After-hours child care service
- Saturday child care service
- short- and long-term child care service (two to six months)
- Emergency child care service
Opening and service hours
| Type of child care | Time |
|---|---|
| Regular hours | 7:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
| Core hours (mondays through thursdays) | 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
| After-hours child care (separate fees) | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
Summer months
The Kinderhaus is closed for three weeks during the summer holidays. For one of these weeks, a joint (= all groups together) child care service is offered. Please find the current dates in the calender under "Important downloads" (blue box on right-hand side).
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Flexible service hours
Knirps & Co. provides flexible service hours outside of the normal opening hours. Please consult the childcare minders directly.
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Evening hours (5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.)
Do you have a job-related emergency or an evening appointment at the university? You can book these evening hours by making prior arrangements three working days in advance.
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Friday afternoons (2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.)
You can either book regularly (four Friday afternoons each month) oder choose single Fridays (flexible booking).
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Saturday hours (9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.)
You will need to register for these hours one week ahead of time in order to take advantage of this service. More about childcare on Saturdays...
In addition to these extensive service hours, Knirps and Co. provides additional child care services for families.
What groups are there and how are they set up?
There are a total of ten groups: six "nest" groups and four Kindergarten groups.
Nest group
| Age | six months to three years including a group for the youngest children (six to eighteen months) |
| Group size | ten children |
| Group types | three full-day groups |
Kindergarten group
| Age | three to six years |
| Group size | eighteen children |
| Group types | four full-day groups |
What do the child care services cost?
Prices are listed per month (valid from November 1, 2022).
| Under three years | Over three years | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-day groups with lunch Mondays through Thursdays 7:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday 7:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | ||
| 1st Child | €360 | €290 |
| Sibling(s) | €280 | €230 |
| Friday afternoons (four per month) 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | ||
| 1st Child | €40 | €40 |
| Sibling(s) | €20 | €20 |
| Extended morning groups with lunch Monday to Friday 7:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | ||
| 1st Child | €290 | |
| Sibling(s) | €225 | |
| Afternoon group only in addition to the mornings Tuesday or Thursday 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (one afternoon per week per month) | €18 | |
| Extended opening hours Monday to Thursday 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. per hour (per started hour) | ||
| 1st Child | €10 | €10 |
| Sibling(s) | €5 | €5 |
Cost information
Payments are due by the 10th of the following month and will be withdrawn from your account automatically via SEPA.
The monthly child care amount is due regardless of the number of absences, holidays and closed days. A € 100 food charge is included in the monthly cost for Kindergarten children, € 80 for children in nest groups.
Director: Sabine Weinhammer
Deputy directors: Dorothee Loos and Dagmar Bader
Management and administration: Yunuen Mann-Maldonado
Forty trained childcare providers currently work full- and part-time in the Kinderhaus. A cook and a team of support and cleaning personnel assist our childcare staff.
The minimum qualifications for our childcare providers include completed education/training either as a nursery school teacher, as a children’s nurse, as a social worker or as a "HeilpädagogIn" (special needs educator). Specialists for early childhood education as well staff members with training in the Pikler and Montessori educational approaches are also part of our team.
In order to provide our children the best possible care, we take advantage of qualification measures that include regular continuous education opportunities, expert consultation and self-evaluation. We believe that our children deserve child care providers who are consistently available, empathic, supportive and encouraging.
What is our basic pedagogical approach?
The university's Knirps & Co. children's centre stands for respect, tolerance, appreciation and anti-discrimination - these principles are reflected in the structures, processes and interactions, in the educational attitude of the staff and in everyday life at the children's centre. The pedagogical management, the team of specialists, the management and the board of the sponsoring organisation are actively committed to this. We create a stimulating and diverse environment in which the children can develop their full potential and grow into responsible, empathetic and self-confident people.
We see diversity as an enrichment. We also want to convey this conviction to the children. We therefore act in a way that recognises the individuality of each child. We treat all children and their families equally. No one is disadvantaged on the basis of origin, religion, gender, social status, physical or mental abilities or other personal characteristics.
We promote fair treatment of one another and an inclusive culture. Our interactions with one another are characterized by respect, empathy and tolerance. We see different living environments, perspectives and requirements as learning opportunities and consciously integrate them into our educational work. It is important to us that parents are involved and that there is trusting cooperation between the childcare team and the families.
In the event of problems, please report them to the management (sabine.weinhammer@uni-konstanz.de). There is a set procedure for dealing with cases of discrimination.