Organisation
Parent Initiative
The German-Chinese Kindergarten "Kita Bambuswald e.V." was founded in 2008 by parents. The parent initiative is a small, parent-managed kindergarten. It operates as a non-profit association, where the parents are members and hold the board positions. This gives the parents significant influence over all matters and the development of the association. However, it also means taking on responsibility and committing to voluntary work.
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This commitment is reflected not only in board activities but also in tasks such as administrative work, cleaning, repairs, helping with the design and redesign of spaces, shopping, gardening, and even board responsibilities involving finance and personnel. The kindergarten depends on active parent engagement. To stay informed and be part of decision-making, regular participation in parent meetings and general assemblies is essential.
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Upon enrolling their child in the kindergarten, all parents agree to contribute a minimum number of parent hours per semester.
The number of parent hours is determined at the annual general meeting. The German-Chinese Kindergarten is organized as follows:
The board
The board's task is to ensure the financing of the facility and to seek additional funding opportunities. The board is responsible for grant applications and accounting with the relevant Senate administration. It handles the financial management, organizational tasks, and all administrative work. In doing so, it works closely with the educational leadership of the kindergarten as well as all other educators. The board is elected annually at the general meeting for at least one year. Typically, it consists of three to four members.
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The supervisory
The supervisory board is responsible for advising and overseeing the board. It reviews and checks the kindergarten's finances once a year.
Working group
In addition to the permanent positions, parents get involved in working groups. Everyone can contribute to the daily life of the kindergarten according to their expertise. Possible tasks include:
Applying for and accounting for funding, repairs, gardening, assisting in the design and redesign of the spaces, or coordinating flea markets. The individual tasks can usually be taken on by several parents, ideally one from the Tiger and Dragon groups, respectively.
Parents council
Each group is represented by a parents' council. This council serves as a contact person for both parents and educators. Additionally, it plays a key role in preparing our festivals and celebrations. With prior agreement, members of the parents' council can attend the educators' team meetings and board meetings.
Parents work
Upon enrolling in the kindergarten, all parents commit to completing a minimum number of parent hours per semester. The number of parent hours is determined at the annual general meeting. Uncompleted parent hours are currently calculated either with in-kind donations (e.g., new play materials) or a set amount per hour. This money is used to pay for craftsmen or other labor.
Parents working hours
A special form of parent involvement is the parent duties, where parents take on the responsibility of caring for the children for a certain period. During this time, the educators' team meetings take place, where organizational and educational topics are discussed.
Occasional childcare duties allow parents to get to know their own child better in the community with other children, as well as the child's peers and their parents. The parent duties take place every other Monday afternoon between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM and are divided among the parents.
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In exceptional cases, parent duties may be necessary if one or more educators in a group fall ill. In this emergency situation, all parents are expected to actively participate in organizing the parent duties. The Monday parent duties are a fixed part of the kindergarten routine and must be taken on by the responsible families.