Our Child care - MIC Montessori Infant Community

Sun- and Star Group

The Montessori Infant Community GmbH (MIC) offers day care facilities in 2 groups of 11 children (caring for aged 5 months to 4 years) according to the principles of the Montessori pedagogy. 3 places are available for very small children up to the age of 18 months or for children with special needs.

Pedagogy Age Group 0 - 3
Daily Routine
Trial Period
Child care options
Parent participation
Prices / Contract

The concept of the “Infant community” stage follows the principles of the Montessori Method and is subject to the guidelines of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) made the child and the individual development of the child at the heart of her pedagogy. She observed that children of the age group 0 – 3, absorb their environment unconsciously and developed materials that serve to promote specific skills and cognitive abilities.

These are made ready, according to the level of development of each child, in what is called the “prepared environment”. They support the Independence of the child, allow him/her to refine his/her senses and acquire linguistic and cognitive skills.

The two mixed-age 0 – 3 groups of MIC GmbH see themselves as "extended family" with 12 children in each group. Three children may in this case be less than 18 months.

The MIC is spatially decorated as an apartment with kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room. The purpose of this division is to provide the child with our culture, appropriate lifestyle and a high degree of order and structure in their everyday lives. Daily activities and processes are performed in the same way in the designated areas and thus contribute to the safety of the child.

There is an area - "Nido" for children from 5 months until the day they can safely run. Here you will find special furniture, supporting the development of large motor skills, materials and activities for fine motor skills, language and movement mattress for even the youngest.

In the "Toddler" area for children up to about 36 months material are available according to their respective levels of development - activities for fine motor skills, language, creative design. Picture books can be watched or read in the book corner.

The Children's Kitchen serves the common food preparation. The children help set the table and have their meals jointly with the teachers. In bathroom the children learn basic hygiene rules. So-called "practical life exercises" promote the independence of the child through every day-related activities.

The children handle in their own benchmark, custom real objects of everyday life and are assisted in their social development.

The exercise are in a logical order, and with inherent order inherent so that the child could/should remember and can successfully carry out the activity.

This supports the brain in its development. A special feature lies in the attractiveness of the materials used. This animates/excites the child to deal with it which in turn helps the child to occupy itself with deep concentration in his work. Another special feature is the so-called error control. It involves the possibility of self-control by the child who can thereby verify his/her result of the work, even without the help of an adult. This arouses curiosity about new discoveries and promotes self-confidence, because making mistakes here means to try out new solutions.

Montessory pedagogy is based on the assumption that external guidance and structures as well as self-discipline leads to inner confidence and to the development of the child's personality. Therefore, leading to security and confidence in one’s own abilities.

Below you will find an example of our daily routine:

time activity

07.30 am arrival of the children (small breakfast possible)

starting at 07.45 am free play time in the prepared environment and food preparation

starting at 09.30 am circle time, singing, rhythm & movement

starting at 10.00 am morning snack (fruit, vegetables, crisp bread, biscuits, yogurt, porridge, etc.)

starting at 10.45 am morning walk, playground, weather permitting

12.15 pm lunch

starting at 1.00 pm sleep or quiet time

starting at 2.30 pm wake-up time

starting at 2.45 pm free play time in the prepared environment

starting at 4.00 pm afternoon snack (fruit, vegetables, crisp bread, etc.)

starting at 4.15 pm afternoon walk, playground or inside play time

starting at 5.00 pm story time, singing (depending on the season indoors or outdoors)

starting at 5.15 pm the parents start to collect their child

6.00 pm MIC closes its doors

Babies and infants follow their individual sleeping, waking and eating rhythms.

Step by step the child is introduced to everyday life at the day-care centre. During the trial period the child is always cared for by the same team member. During the first days the presence of the parent is compulsory. During the rest of the trial period, MIC must be able to contact the parents at any time.

Order of trial period

At the beginning the child will be at MIC for two days in the afternoon in order to discover this new environment. Throughout this time the parent sit in the same room. When the child gets tired, the day is finished early.

In the following days the child comes in as agreed with the team member. The child gets used to the environment and his/her radius of action is enlarged. In this phase the first special separation takes place.

In agreement with the parents the time of separation is gradually prolonged until the full presence of the child in MIC is reached.

The following day-care options are available:

From a pedagogical point of view a regular attendance on three consecutive days makes the best choice for the child.

The child always attends MIC on the same days of the week. Additional care days may exceptionally be granted when there are free places in a group. We kindly ask you to pay these additional care days in cash to the manager of the day-care centre.

The swapping of care days is not possible. Should days be swapped during the week they will be charged as additional days.

Absence does not lead to a reduction in costs. Because of the group organization it is not possible to compensate unused care days.

Can a child not attend MIC on individual days, we kindly ask you to call. We would also like to be informed as early as possible of any absence due to vacations so that the planning of our personnel can be adjusted.

MIC is deeply interested in a close cooperation with the parents. This facilitates the daily work and has a positive influence on the well-being of the children and the team.

For this reason MIC actively maintains contact with the parents. This can be through daily contact, parental visits and talks, workshops, parties and excursions.

Montessori Infant Community is interested in family involvement with the child. We do invite you to proactively support this endeavour by being present at your child’s birthday party and whenever other opportunities arise.

Parents are partners in the duty to bring up the children.

The team member shares important information about the day with the parents. The team member also greets every single child on arrival at the MIC and she is fully focussed on the child.

Rituals for arrival and departure are important stages in the learning process of each child as well as that of the whole group. This is true for new arrivals or before finally moving out, but also at the daily drop-off and pick-up. Children should experience the “saying goodbye” actively and with awareness. The team members will look for appropriate, individual rituals to say goodbye and they support the children as well as the parents in the process of letting go.

Talks between parents and team members and parental visits are always possible after making an appointment. Once or twice a year there will be a parent-teacher conference or a workshop which in part deals with a topic of the Montessori pedagogy, but which also contains a discussion of pedagogical and administrative questions among parents and teachers.

Throughout the year the MIC organises various activities to which the parents are cordially invited and which help to establish contact amongst the parents.

At the entrance of the MIC there are transparent pouches with photos of all the children. On arrival the parents turn their child’s photo so that the picture of their child faces outwards. When they pick up their child, they turn the picture the other way around. Thus the team knows exactly which children are still on the premises.

In the cloakroom the parents help their child as far as necessary with his/her jacket and shoes. Thereafter they greet the members of the team and inform them of relevant occurrences.

Parents are asked to dress their children in clothes which fit the principles important to the MIC:

The clothes should be labelled with the child’s name. In the cloakroom cabinets there should always be a set of clothes to change into if necessary.

The Montessori Infant Community GmbH (MIC) offers day care facilities in 2 groups of 11 children (caring for aged 5 months to 3 years) according to the principles of the Montessori pedagogy. 3 places are available for very small children up to the age of 18 months or for children with special needs.

Prices / Contracts
The minimal presence required of children at MIC Day Care is 3 days. Half-day care is not offered.

The daily rate is CHF 180 .- / day (7.30 - 18.00) for children over 18 months and CHF 200 .- / day (7.30 - 18.00) for children under 18 months.

	over 18 months	under 18 months
3 day care per month	CHF 2’340.00	CHF 2’600.00
4 day care per month	CHF 3’120.00	CHF 3’466.00
5 day care per month	CHF 3’900.00	CHF 4’333.00

Upon a definitive acceptance, a non-recurring fee of CHF 800.- must be paid.

MIC Montessori Infant Community is a privately managed day-care centre, which does not have any subsidized day-care places.

Not included in the parents’ contribution are:

Hygiene-articles and toiletries (diapers and so on)
Excursions
Entrance fees, tickets for public transport
Compulsory health care and accident insurance
MIC is not liable for clothes, toys or other property brought with the child

Parents are liable for any damage caused by their child during his/her stay at the MIC

Contractual relationship:

The contractual relationship – between MIC and legal guardians of the children who are accepted in the day care – is stipulated by the school contract which has to be signed by both parties.

No claim to a vacancy in the day-care centre can be deduced from the child’s actual position on the waiting list.

Should differing statements be found on the website or in other publications and the school contract, the school contract will always and exclusively be applied.

MIC expects the parents to either remain in the day-care centre or at least to be available on short notice during the trial period of a Maximum of two weeks.

Babies
Special needs

Looking after infants demands constant empathy and care, reliable gratification of their needs and attention to their individual rhythm. The teachers focus their time and emotional attention on the infants. They often take on a consultative function towards the parents.

Infants will be cared for according to their individual daily rhythm. Parents are therefore asked to instruct the care givers. Parents provide diapers and the correct amount of baby bottles or baby formula, which will be needed during the infant’s stay at MIC. These things will be stored in the refrigerator and will be heated in the baby food heater or prepared freshly.

For further meals, baby food – with fruit or vegetables on the basis of millet, potato or rice – will be prepared from ecological cultivation.

Nursing mothers have the possibility to breast-feed their child in the MIC. In order to avoid waiting times in an emergency they are kindly asked to provide the necessary number of baby bottles as well as deep frozen mother’s milk, which are already clearly labelled with name and date.

MIC has an integrating structure and offers individual care for children with special needs. Along with children who have to rediscover their equilibrium lost due to adverse circumstances and/or individual developmental crisis, children with handicaps will be stimulated according to their level of development. Attentiveness, experience and professional expertise in malfunctions at the infant stage allow the care givers to recognize and analyse them. Their knowledge of sign language supports communication.