Parents: Our Partners

Eltern: Unsere PartnerThe goal of the Elbkinder day-care centres is a cooperation based on partnerships with the parents. The parents are our indispensable partners in the children’s education. Both the individual parents and the parents’ representatives are important dialogue partners for us to further develop our work.

As the parents, you know your child best. Therefore, we talk to you and seek your advice. The teachers regularly keep you updated about your child’s activities and development at the day-care centre – either during drop off or collection of the children or in a more relaxed atmosphere during a previously arranged talk. All parents of the group are regularly invited to parents’ evenings.

Your opinion on our work is very important to us. We are grateful for suggestions. We also greatly appreciate the parents’ support in our work – e.g. by means of their manual skills or through assistance in festivities and trips. However, parents are not obligated to work for our day-care centres, neither are they pressured by us. We understand and accept that many parents are unable to find the time to participate, due to job-related stress or other responsibilities.


At parents’ evenings the parents’ representatives for the individual groups and areas are elected. The parents’ representatives of all groups form the parents’ board of the day-care centre. The parents’ representatives and the parents’ board are important contacts for the teachers and the management of the day-care centre. Together with them, pedagogical and organisational issues are discussed and crucial changes in the day-care centre work are talked through in advance.

The LEA (Landeselternausschuss – state’s parents’ board) represents the interests of the Hamburg day-care centre parents at state level. Visit the LEA  homepage, for more information and addresses of the so-called BEAs (Bezirkselternausschüsse – district’s parents’ boards).

Jennifer Kersting

Ich habe den Beruf sozusagen von der Pike auf gelernt: Erst als Sozialpädagogische Assistentin, dann als Erzieherin mit Fachhochschulreife, und nach einigen Jahren Berufspraxis das Studium der Sozialen Arbeit. Von dort sprang ich dann gleich auf eine Leitungsstelle bei den Hamburger Elbkindern. Der Träger hat mich so überzeugt, dass ich nach unserem Umzug unbedingt im Unternehmen bleiben wollte. Und auch bei Kitas Nord finde ich die gleiche hohe fachliche Kompetenz, das konsequente Qualitäts-management und die Unterstützung von allen Seiten!

Jennifer Kersting, Kita-Leiterin, Kita Hammoor