Five centers were launched in January 2012. Since then, a further five daycare centers have set out to become family centers, bringing the current total to ten.
Family centers offer parents and their children early information, advice, care and education. They support and strengthen families in all phases of life, for example through parent and baby cafés, sports activities, forest days and parent afternoons on special topics such as parenting tips and media use.
Before the pandemic (2019), almost 11,000 families, i.e. 24,000 citizens, took part in the offers. Lockdown, coronavirus regulations and hygiene plans presented the family centers with new challenges. Over the past 18 months, more and more services have been offered in digital format. Adapted to current possibilities and conditions, the diversity of the range of services on offer in the family centers has increased again.
Many actions planned
Numerous activities are planned up to and including summer 2022 to mark the milestone "birthday". "They make it clear," says Dr. Dirk Härdrich, Head of Social Affairs, "that the family centers in the city of Salzgitter are part of a network and that supporting families is a matter close to their hearts."
Art and culture project
Perhaps the most elaborate and sustainable project of the anniversary year is an art and culture project. Together with children and parents from each family center, artist and painter Wolf Menzel will design a stele. Together with the coordinator, the daycare children from the centers and their families will come up with themes and paint them on paper. Artist Wolf Menzel will incorporate these creative design proposals as sculptural exhibits in the respective work of art. Each of the ten steles will be 2.20 meters high and 50 by 50 centimeters wide and made of weatherproof material.
Once all the steles have been completed, there will be a vernissage with a ceremony. It is planned for the second quarter of 2022.
Image film about the Salzgitter family centers
An image film about the family centers in the city of Salzgitter is also planned by the city's Medienzentrum of the Department of Culture. As soon as it has been completed, it will be shown in the center's "100 Sekunden Salzgitter" film series on the online YouTube channel.
Friendly soccer tournament for all family centers
Before the summer vacations begin in 2022, a friendly soccer tournament is planned for all young and old from the ten family centers.
Anyone who would like to take part in activities or receive further information can contact a family center near them directly.
The following family centers exist in Salzgitter:
In Salzgitter-Bad:
- Family Center Christ-König
- Family Center KunterBund
In Lebenstedt:
- St. Markus Family Center
- St. Elisabeth Family Center
- Family Center AWO Wilhelm-Kunze-Ring
- St. Joseph Family Center
- Martin-Luther Family Center
- Purzelbaum Family Center
In Thiede:
- St. Bernward Family Center
- Stiftsmäuse Family Center
