Since the Lerchennest is a parents' initiative, our kindergarten stands and falls with the commitment of the parents. The parents have considerably more tasks and "duties" with us than in a conventional kindergarten, but they also have considerably more scope for creativity and "rights".
Organisation of parental participation
Our kindergarten is organised by three board members who are elected every year by the members of the association and who perform their duties on a voluntary basis. They are responsible for the administration of the kindergarten, i.e. all organizational questions regarding personnel, financing, budget, admission of the children etc.. Since the bookkeeping of a kindergarten of our size is a very extensive task which cannot be shared, we have hired help for this. The personnel accounting is done by IBPro.
Every year, two Parents' Councils are elected per group. In addition to their actual role as representatives of the parents in the event of problems and wishes, they also have various other rights established in the rules of procedure of our association.
Support for teachers in organisational tasks
Involvement in internal decisions
Representation of the parents' interests before the board and the teachers
Organization of events (lantern procession, Christmas play, summer party, farewell parties)
Each Kingergarten group has two parents' councils. For each of these groups the parents' council is elected on the first parents' evening of the kindergarten year by the parents present in at least two ballots (1st and 2nd parents' council) in a secret vote.
There is enough to do - and everyone pitches in
All parents are regularly called upon when repairs or other manual work are due in the kindergarten and of course also when it comes to organizing the joint kindergarten parties. Carpools are organized, and in case of illness of the teachers the parents help out in the groups.
There are also a number of working groups in which parents are responsible for larger tasks, e.g. recycling, gardening, shopping or the library.
In order to expand the offer for the children, the parents organize various courses in the afternoon, such as swimming, gymnastics, skiing, creative courses, etc..
In the following working groups, the working hours required for parental involvement (at least 35 hours per year per family) can be worked. Parents are free to choose, but must switch to other working groups if they are overstaffed.
| Working group |
Main tasks |
| Shopping | Shop for the kindergarten e.g. food, books, toys etc. |
| Garden | Maintain garden and front garden |
| Library | Bind, repair and catalogue books |
| Disposal | Dispose of glass bottles, paper, etc. |
| Caretaker | Maintain rooms and play equipment, hang pictures, repair dripping water taps etc.. |
| Fundraising | Acquire and maintain contacts in order to improve the finances of the kindergarten |
| Internet/Website | Create and update websites |
| System administration | Administration of office infrastructure (e.g. computer, network) |
| Events | Organizing special events, e.g. Christmas market, flea markets, first aid course |
Close exchange
The contact between parents and teachers or just among the parents is promoted by parents' evenings and regular meetings, which take place at irregular intervals.
For questions, problems and suggestions, the teachers can be contacted at any time or a meeting can be arranged at short notice. The parents are informed about what is planned for the near future by postings on our bulletin board, the board and other parents in the kindergarten newspaper.
Our aim is to create an atmosphere of trust between parents, team and board, which makes it possible to address problems openly at any time and to find common solutions.
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