Pioneers in Daycare

Children need a stable and nurturing environment, one made especially for them where they can learn and grow. For that reason, the quality standards for childcare are quite high—higher than in any other sector. WHU Toddlers, the daycare center at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, has always understood this and is now one of only eight childcare facilities in Rhineland-Palatinate to have received a quality assurance certification.

To earn this certification, Simone Hahn, Director of WHU Toddlers and one of the facility’s caretakers, participated in “Quality Development in Discussion” (in German, “Qualitätsentwicklung im Diskurs,” or QiD), a pilot project conducted by The Institute for Education and Childcare (IBEB), an institution founded by the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences. As part of this project, which was financed jointly by the state and the Ministry of Education in Rhineland-Palatinate, participants reflected on and then entirely reimagined their daily work. Their attendance culminated in a final project, for which they created new concepts for ensuring quality at their respective centers.

Behind the QiD pilot is one goal: to have daycare facilities systematically and continually review their level of quality to ensure that children are cared for in the best way possible. With this model, daily processes on the job can be improved and the overall level of care increased and made more professional. “Parents should rest assured that whatever applies to a kindergarten also applies to a daycare center,” says Dorothee Geishecker, representing the facility at the Youth Welfare Office of Mayen-Koblenz County.

In earning this certification, WHU Toddlers has become a pioneer for the quality development of daycare centers. “With this, and with our facility open to employees and other parents in the area, WHU has certainly backed up its proclaimed commitment to excellence,” said Simone Hahn, who also mentioned plans to obtain follow-up certifications to maintain high quality standards for the pedagogical work they do on campus.  

WHU Toddlers is open to the children of the school’s employees, with any remaining slots open to other families in and around Vallendar. Since its opening in the summer of 2020, the facility has become popular with parents and children alike, thanks in large part to the warm and professional care provided. As a university that strives for excellence, WHU assigns great importance to the ways children are supported on campus and to the continued education and qualifications of its staff. Although located close to the city center, WHU Toddlers often takes excursions into local nature.