FortSchritt Bayern gGmbH

Our Mission

Early childhood education. Inclusion. Diversity: FortSchritt is an independent, non-profit organisation for holistic childcare in integrative day nurserys, kindergartens and daycare centres. In our conductive curative education day care centers we provide holistic, loving and individual support for children and young people with disabilities using the method of conductive education according to Dr. Andras Peto. Our mobile specialist service visits people of all ages and institutions on site and offers them psychological and therapeutic help. The focus of our holistic work is always the human being in his uniqueness.

Main areas of activity: The FortSchritt-Konduktives Forderzentrum gGmbH was founded in 2001. It is responsible for 36 day nurserys, kindergartens, children's homes, forest playgroups, curative day care centres and after-school care centres for children with and without disabilities. In addition to the day care centres, FortSchritt gGmbH offers day care and large day care centres for children, a baby cafe, a transport service and interdisciplinary, mobile specialist services for parents, children, educators and employees. The facilities of FortSchritt gGmbH are represented in 6 Upper Bavarian administrative districts and the state capital Munich. At present we care for about 1,400 children with about 400 employees.

All FortSchritt support services are holistic and inclusive! The personal development of each child and social justice are in the foreground. Therefore, FortSchritt welcomes all children, regardless of which social, religious and national group they belong to. Thus the facilities of the gGmbH form a differentiated, multi-layered, educational and social learning environment.

In order to enable optimal support beyond the regular financing, we are dependent on monetary donations and donations in kind.

Mission statement FortSchritt gGmbH - step by step to independence

Preamble: This mission statement is the result of more than 20 years of lived experience in pedagogical dealing with children, teenagers and young adults. It offers orientation, reminds us of common goals and values and encourages us to think further.

1. The children, teenagers and young adults entrusted to us are at the centre of all our ideas, concepts and measures. We are passionately committed to their well-being and their best possible development and strive to work professionally and successfully every day.

2. We see our work as a diverse range of pedagogical offers, which should enable the optimal compatibility of family and career. We rely on our experience, skills and strengths.

3. FortSchritt has a unique history: We have established the conductive education to Peto in Germany. This tradition is very important to us. At the same time, we integrate various pedagogical approaches into our work and are constantly developing further.

4. The aspects presented under Mission, Vision and Values have emerged from joint workshops and meetings. They are not immutable, they have to prove themselves in practical work every day.

5. This mission statement should therefore be tested in practice and further developed: Share your experiences with the other employees of FortSchritt! At leitbild@fortschritt-bayern.de we are happy to take up your experiences, ideas and suggestions and publish them regularly.

Mission: In cooperation with the parents, we seek to educate the children, teenagers and young adults entrusted to us to become responsible, compassionate and independent personalities - always in partnership and at eye level.

1. FortSchritt enables individual support: Through our diverse range of services we create the conditions to accept each child as it is: unique and free in its decisions. Our roots lie in the conductive education according to Peto, in addition we take up different pedagogical approaches such as Frobel's teaching, reggio pedagogy or forest pedagogy. This diversity allows us to address individual offers to the individual. The conception of our facilities and the interdisciplinary qualification of our teams reflect this diversity.

2. Joy, security and acceptance with FortSchritt: Children, teenagers and young adults feel completely at home with us, have fun and enjoy themselves. They should keep the time at FortSchritt as a valuable memory. This includes creating an atmosphere of security and acceptance; a protected space in which those entrusted to us can develop and try things out.

3. Our goal: Step by step to independence: We accompany the children, teenagers and young adults individually and step by step on their way to independence and support their strengths. "I can do it!": We make sure that the challenges they face are manageable and that their sense of self-efficacy is strengthened. This also includes setting clear boundaries. Many small steps create a sense of achievement that motivates you to continue.

4. We promote a positive self-esteem: Children, adolescents and young adults should develop at FortSchritt to become self-confident and responsible citizens of society. They learn to be aware of their own needs, to trust their own strengths and to develop skills. This also means taking responsibility for their own actions and standing up for common values. Everyone can achieve something and be proud of it: positive feelings strengthen self-esteem.

5. Inclusion and social competence in all facets: In addition to personal development, the promotion of social skills in all its facets is central to FortSchritt. At the core of this competence is the insight: "It is normal to be different." For us, inclusion refers not only to different physical constitutions or mental abilities, but also to gender, nationality, culture and language. The focus is on support oriented to the individual child and learning from and with each other. FortSchritt creates a space for friendships, for trust and reliable action.

Vision: We advocate an open, empathic society in which inclusion is not just a buzzword, but an attitude to life. We take responsibility for this: with our theoretical and practical expertise and our special pedagogical skills, we want to advise parents, communities and other institutions and stimulate social change.

1. Higher social and political appreciation of extracurricular education: In our view, extracurricular education should be given the same importance as school education. This will create better overall conditions in the areas of education, training and support. FortSchritt is committed to a concrete improvement of the working conditions of our pedagogical teams. In addition to higher remuneration, this includes the optimisation of training and further education opportunities. The time for preparation and follow-up work, professional exchange and networking should not be considered a voluntary additional benefit, but a fixed part of regular working hours.

2. Inclusion is more than consideration: Our goal is a society in which inclusion is a matter of course in all respects. This means that not only individual social institutions work on inclusion, but that broad social and political acceptance is achieved. FortSchritt consciously counters social exclusion: We reject the division of people into certain categories such as nationals/foreigners; handicapped/non-handicapped.

3. Living diversity: also in our teams: Against the background of a changing society and increasing demands in the field of extracurricular education, training and support, we want to develop culturally, linguistically and professionally diverse team structures. In order to meet these requirements, we would like to offer our employees a wide range of training and further education.

4. FortSchritt as consultant, supporter and multiplier: We would like to pass on our special curative education and psychological knowledge and our expertise in the areas of management, administration and organization. Parents, representatives of local authorities and other institutions should receive information and support from us in an uncomplicated way in the form of counselling, coaching and further training.

Values: The values formulated here give orientation to our thoughts and actions - and they serve as a benchmark in dealing with the children and young people entrusted to us. This also applies to our dealings with parents and all those with whom we work in partnership. The values have proven their worth in the more than 20 years of our existence - and should continue to serve as a guideline for the future.

1. Humanistic, positive image of man: Human dignity, the recognition of the equality of all people and respect for each individual are the basis for our actions.

2. Appreciation: We meet people empathically and at eye level. Our friendliness is expressed in our language and in our actions. Politeness and appropriate manners are therefore a matter of course for us.

3. Respect: We treat ourselves and others with recognition and respect. For us, respect means not only tolerance of other values and lifestyles, but also their acceptance.

4. Trust: A trustful cooperation is the basis of all our relationships. The trust we place in each other creates security and reliability.

5. Fairness: For us, fairness means more than acting in accordance with the rules: Fairness also means decency and honesty in dealing with each other.

6. Together: We achieve our goals through team spirit, cooperation and a strong sense of community. We want to actively set an example against egoism and create a sense of we.