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The Toddlers e.V. is an English-speaking group for children from one and a half to three years of age. Generally the group consists of eight children. Under special circumstances a ninth child may be accepted with special permission of the local authorities.
Our headteacher is a qualified Erzieherin. Both the head teacher and the assistant teacher speak fluent English.
A typical day at the Toddlers sees the children enjoying free-play, morning circle with songs and games, arts and crafts, looking at books, listening to music, taking a daily trip to the park (weather permitting), playing in the garden and sharing two meals, breakfast and lunch, together. The children’s awareness of their environment is heightened by highlighting the changing seasons, and the holidays they bring, through song, craft and celebration. A participatory ‘special breakfast’ is enjoyed by the children every week, where the children take part in the buying of ingredients for, and preparation of, the breakfast.
It is the goal of The Toddlers e.V. to have only English spoken at all times. Not only do the teachers speak to the children in English, they also speak to the parents in English. Parents speak to each other and to the children in English and written communication between parents with each other and the teachers is usually in English.
The Toddlers e.V. is a parent-run kindergarten: a non-profit group, organized and governed by the parents. Therefore; parents are obliged to serve on the board, support the teachers as needed, buy supplies, make repairs – in general, the parents take care of anything that needs to be done.
History
The Toddlers e.V. (formerly: Krabbelgruppe Rübennasen e.V.) was founded in 2001 by parents of Punch & Judy (bilingual Kindergarten, which is located in the same building) to accomodate the younger siblings of the Punch & Judy children. The goal of the Toddlers e.V. is to address the bilingual/multicultural needs of English-speaking children growing up in "German-speaking" Bremen. At its inception, children at The Toddlers came from mostly German/British or German/American families; however, over the years The Toddlers has welcomed children from countries all over the world, including Ireland, Peru, India, Nigeria, Zambia, Japan, France and Sweden.
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