Dr. Roswitha Krum, Head of the Children, Youth and Family Department of the City of Salzgitter, welcomed 20 participating educational professionals from 12 different daycare facilities. Among them were employees from the family centers, but also from other Salzgitter family daycare centers.
"Back in 2012, we were brave enough to take advantage of a state funding guideline published at short notice and set up five family centers in Salzgitter with our cooperation partners," recalled the head of the department, "initially for just one year, but thanks to various state and federal funding pots, the support of the 'Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation', co-financing from the city of Salzgitter and secured by corresponding council resolutions, there are now 10 family centers in Salzgitter." The specialist service quickly decided to use the EEC principle as the basis for the work of the family centers.
Representatives of the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation, CEO Isa Baumgarten and Northwest Region Coordinator Andreas Reith joined the welcoming event via Zoom from Berlin. "The 'mobile EEC specialist course' in Salzgitter is a pilot project of the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation in Germany, as the training is carried out on site and not at our training locations," said Baumgarten, emphasizing the special nature of this training course. Reith added: "Thanks to the city of Salzgitter for having the courage to go down this path. Above all, thank you to the family centers for taking this path together with the city of Salzgitter."
"EEC also overlaps with the approach of our Catholic Family Education Center in the form of appreciation and respect for the families who visit our center," reported Director Stephanie Temborius. The lecturers at the family education center also consciously involve the parents in their child's education. According to Temborius, the networking of all groups working for families in Salzgitter works very well in Salzgitter. Addressing the participants of the training course, she said: "It seems important to me that you also incorporate this idea of networking and collegial advice into your work. The professional support and advice of the educational specialists at the daycare centers and family centers is a central concern for us at FABI. "
What is Early Excellence (EEC)?
In their day-to-day work with children and parents, the family centers in Salzgitter have found that the pedagogical "Early Excellence Concept" is a good starting point for equipping children and families with personal resilience against life crises. Another goal is to promote the independence and self-organization of families in socially disadvantaged environments.
Who is the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation?
The establishment of EECs in Germany is the Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation's most extensive project in the field of education.
The Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation is involved in a wide range of activities in accordance with the founder's wishes:
Using the dividend income from the foundation's 2.4 million Dürr AG shares, it promotes and finances projects in three areas: Education and social affairs, art and culture with a focus on German-language theater, and science and research. With these three foundation purposes, it provides different impulses for society.
Why is the foundation involved in Salzgitter?
The foundation puts it this way: "The family centers in Salzgitter are constantly evolving and are open to new influences that enable the further development of their work. The high level of commitment shown by the staff at the centers has prompted the Berlin-based Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation to support the valuable work at the facilities by providing financial resources.
It did this in 2019, among other things, when the foundation funded a position for a coordinating "Specialist for EEC Advice and Family Centers".
