After-school activity

A school club, nursery or just hoard is in almost all German states a socio-educational institution of the child and youth welfare. It serves the children day care for elementary school children and is usually attended to the 4th grade.

Situation in Germany

Day-care centers are facilities for children and youth services, and (like the nursery or crèche ) an education, training and supervision order ( § 22 para 2 SGB VIII). The care center opens as needed before the start of school (early Hort ) and offers children the opportunity to have breakfast. It is offered centrally by the end of the school lessons and mostly visited by the children to 16:00 clock, sometimes even longer (late Hort ). Both the extent of care and the care hours are regionally highly variable. Especially in the eastern states, many day-care centers are also open on the school holidays and offer special holiday programs with adapted opening times. Day-care centers may be operated within the school building, daycare centers or in their own homes Hort.

Claims on child care center is regulated by § 24 para 2 SGB VIII, this state law in individual states a legal right to a nursery place assures (eg Brandenburg). The demand for nursery places is highly dependent on whether there are day schools and which offer is covered by them. For the allocation of rights and the financing of the courts, the local youth offices are responsible in most federal states of Germany. The legal guardian (parents) usually pay school fees for a child care center.

The development and spread of the hoard is country country -specific. While in the eastern states the use of the hoard is rampant in the old federal states, the concept of all-day school is predominant. In Thuringia, day-care centers are allocated to the school system. It can reduce the tendency detected, assign the Hort function over the expansion of all- day schools, the school system (eg, in North Rhine -Westphalia, Berlin, Hamburg). In any case, the spatial and technical liaison between the school and nursery will be strengthened.

The staff ratio is different depending on the province. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the per capita expenditure for a school kid came up to 14 years in an institution in public ownership to 4200 euros in 2009 and 4400 euros in a device independent agencies.

School club in the GDR

In the GDR, the after-school club as part of the so-called days education was laid to school concept and was an integral part of education. He had a care and education function and thus an ideological function. In 1989, 81 % of students in grades one through four were enrolled in after-school club. During the lunch break or after the end of the lesson the Lower School classes went to lunch. School kitchens and dining rooms were in all schools since the 1950s available.

Then, standing at the mandatory nap for pupils of the first class. They had at least rest when they could not sleep or wanted. A longer siesta saw the GDR education as essential in order to provide a regular, orderly daily routine in a stable environment to the children so that they were again active, powerful, able to concentrate and balanced in the afternoon care designated as organized leisure. The nap in kindergarten and the lower grades was therefore also the subject of extensive educational studies. After sleeping and hygiene after getting the Vesper followed. This was a small community meal for all children in a nursery group, were served in the pastry and tea or cocoa.

Subsequently, all other members of the school homework had to be done. It was laid greater emphasis on the so-called dignified basic skills discipline, order, cleanliness, industriousness, perseverance and diligence; the children were calm, focused and work with minimum requirements on the external form. Had a child solved the tasks, it presented the results of the charge of the nursery group educators. The educator signed for a sign of approval or rejected if there are any errors or shortcomings in the form. With the signing of the homework, the child could leave the work area and play free until the end of his savings time. Refusal to sign meant for the school child, the obligation to repair, until the desired result was achieved.

The educator who had also graduated from a technical college studies at the institutes for teacher education and teacher training colleges and the teachers were basically a compartment of the lower level, often also discussed problems in the areas of learning, performance and behavior with the children. They worked closely with the teachers and the classroom teachers. However, the performance evaluation was the sole responsibility of the teachers.

Situation in other countries

United States

In the U.S., although all-day schools are common, but also arise there in the morning and in the afternoon for many families gaps in care. Many primary schools in the public school system ask about their premises outside school hours independent carriers available that offer a paid there for the families care program (after -school child care).