Engel day-care centres – warm-hearted collaboration in children’s best interests

Engel day-care centres are private day-care centres that have operated in southern Helsinki since 1993. The day-care centres comprise four small home-like units: Engel Viiskulma, which is located at the foot of the beautiful St. John’s Church; Engel Huvila on the idyllic Huvilakuja road; and Engel Seppä and Engel Albert, both next to the stimulating Sepän puisto park.

Engel Huvila, Seppä, and Viiskulma are Finnish-language day-care centres. Engel Albert is a bilingual day-care centre that operates in Finnish and in English. All Engel day-care centres are committed to the same educational principles and consider the overall wellbeing of the child to be the cornerstone of its operations.

Viskari makes learning fun

All five-year-olds, known as ‘viskari(t)’, at Engel day-care centres are given viskari education, which involves lessons targeted at five-year-olds in particular. The five-year-olds also work on a viskari book, which contains tasks suitable for their age and development. Viskari kids at all Engel day-care centres also work together, for example, by going on school trips together. This means that viskari kids at Engel day-care centres get to know one another before preschool.

Preschool prepares children for school

Preschool at Engel day-care centres is organised at Engel Viiskulma. This means that preschool children can experience and learn in a classroom environment and get to know their future classmates. Preschool is an important phase of a child’s life, and it is guided by the Basic Education Act. Together with the parents, preschool education supports a child’s development and promotes the will to learn and the joy of learning.

Read more about preschool education here.

 

Children enjoy day-care at Engel

Engel day-care centres’ educational activities promote a home-like feel and sense of community. Engel has a safe and caring atmosphere, where everyone accepts and respects one another. Engel day-care centres are small, so all of the staff and children know one another. 

The children at the day-care centres are split into functional age-appropriate groups. At Finnish-language Engel day-care centres, these groups are: Taimi for 1-2-year-olds, Toimija for 3-year-olds, and Tietäjä for 4-5-year-olds. At Engel Albert, which is bilingual, the groups are named Dreamers, Crafters, and Seekers.

As they children grow, they naturally move from one group to the next. Changing groups feels safe, as the children already know the children in the new group and the staff before they change group. It is fun to play and learn with people you already know.

The children’s parents and other people who belong to the day-care centre community are also welcomed into the day-care centres. Everyone has their own important place in our day-care centre community. We wish everyone a warm welcome to our team!