Darmstadt institution receives award at the Frankfurt Book Fair for its language and reading promotion efforts
The Meißnerweg daycare center in Darmstadt has once again received the "Book Daycare" seal of approval. The award recognizes the center's ongoing commitment to early childhood language and literacy development. The award ceremony will take place during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
The quality seal is awarded jointly by the Foundation for Book Culture and Reading Promotion of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and the German Library Association. It recognizes daycare centers that provide children with diverse access to books, stories, and language.
Reading is part of the daily routine in the daycare center
At the Meißnerweg daycare center, reading is a daily activity. However, engaging with books isn't limited to traditional reading aloud. The children are encouraged to ask questions, retell stories, rhyme, and playfully recreate the plot.
Each room in the facility has its own reading corner. The outdoor area is also used for reading. On Tuesdays, parents participate in joint reading sessions with the children.
“We want children to experience that books and stories are part of our everyday life. Reading can take place anywhere – indoors, outdoors, together with the educators, with parents or with other children,” explains the daycare team.
Language development through books, music and movement
The institution combines the study of stories with various creative and educational activities.
For example, the children completed rhymes from the book "The Octopus on a Great Journey" and acted out the characters. In the "Body Parts Blues," new words are taught through music and movement.
Social issues are also incorporated into reading promotion. Using the picture book "Otto, the Little Spider," children explore topics such as differences, belonging, prejudice, and exclusion.
Since 2026, the facility has also been a language-focused daycare center. A particular emphasis is therefore placed on the linguistic diversity of the children. The different family languages are consciously incorporated into daily life and shared reading activities.
In addition to classic picture books, digital and other analog media are also used.
Reading aloud together with students
Another example of promoting reading was participation in the National Read Aloud Day. Together with tenth-grade students from a comprehensive school in Kranichstein, the daycare center organized a program for interactive reading aloud.
The stories themselves were not the only focus. The students engaged in conversation with the younger children, addressed their questions, and encouraged them to express their own thoughts and assumptions.
Mayor praises commitment
Darmstadt's mayor, Barbara Akdeniz, welcomes the renewed award for the institution.
“The Meißnerweg childcare facility impressively demonstrates how diverse and vibrant language and reading promotion can be,” Akdeniz explained.
She particularly emphasized that the different languages and experiences of the children are naturally incorporated into the educational work.
For the daycare team, the renewed award of the quality seal is recognition of their work to date and at the same time an incentive to continue offering language and reading support programs.
(DARMSTADT – RED/jdi)
