When the first children take off their jackets in the morning, the smell of breakfast is already in the air at the “CampusKids” nursery. They are welcomed in the nursery’s living room; later, they play in the sandpit, do jigsaw puzzles, run around the playground or do gymnastics in the sports hall. Fourteen years ago, right in the heart of the campus of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, a place was created where studying, working and family life come together in a practical way.
The “CampusKids” nursery is located on the ground floor of Hall of Residence 7 and is run by the Magdeburg Student Services Organisation. From Monday to Friday, between 7 am and 5 pm, up to 70 children from around 21 different nationalities are looked after. Eleven qualified nursery staff look after them throughout the day. “We accept children from eight weeks old until they start school,” explains the nursery manager, Ina Richter. She has been in charge of the centre since 2023. She has known the nursery from the very beginning: she started working there in 2012, straight after completing her training as a nursery teacher. The manager looks back on the history of the nursery’s founding.
“The nursery was set up to provide reliable childcare for students with children,” says Ina Richter. Previously, the campus had already had the ‘CampusKinderZimmer’, an off-peak childcare service for parents who wanted to have their children looked after on an hourly basis – for example, during a late lecture or a seminar during the day. This off-peak childcare service still operates, from 8 am to 3 pm on the campus of Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences and from 4 pm to 9 pm on the campus of Otto von Guericke University. However, it soon became clear that this approach was not sufficient to meet the childcare needs of children whose parents are students. This led to the creation of ‘CampusKids’, a continuous all-day childcare service in a single location where all-day and off-peak care complement each other and merge seamlessly.
Despite this concept, Ina Richter repeatedly encounters a common misconception: the nursery is not just for children of students or university staff. “We are a public nursery. And even though we are run by the Studentenwerk, we offer the same services and charge the same fees as other nurseries,” she emphasises. When allocating places, special consideration is given to children of students, as well as to children of staff at the universities and the Studentenwerk. However, having such a connection is not a prerequisite for admission. In principle, therefore, all families from Magdeburg and the surrounding area are welcome. At present, around half of the families have no connection to the university, the higher education institution or the Studentenwerk. This creates a diverse community of families from very different backgrounds. This colourful mix shapes everyday life at the nursery and enriches the community through diversity, openness and a variety of perspectives.
The daily routine at the nursery is clearly structured, but deliberately allows the children scope to make their own decisions. From 7.00 am, the children are welcomed in the nursery’s living room. Once they have arrived, a flexible breakfast period begins. Between 7.30 and 8.45 am, the children decide for themselves whether they would like to play first or use a free seat in the mini-canteen to have breakfast. The various rooms in the nursery are themed so that the children can choose for themselves where and with whom they want to play. Among other things, there are two art and craft rooms for creative play, a family room with a dolls’ corner and a toy shop, a room for role-play and two building areas. Particularly popular are the mud room, which invites children to experiment even in bad weather, and the sports room, which the children can use independently. The aim is not just to keep them occupied, but also to support their development: motor skills, language and social interaction.
The children are provided with full board, so parents do not need to bring anything for their meals. The food is prepared in the university canteen, though this does not mean it has to be identical to the students’ menu. “We can help shape the meal plan together with the children. Sometimes the children even go straight to the canteen and eat there,” says Ina Richter. Anyone who wants to rest after lunch can make themselves comfortable in the sleeping area. Those who only need a short break can go back to playing at any time.
There is, however, one thing that makes the nursery special: its immediate proximity to the university. And not just because of the short distances or the use of the canteen, but because the entire campus is used as an extended learning space. Walks around the university grounds are just as popular as trips to Nordpark or down to the River Elbe. The children also visit the university’s Sports Hall 3 every week. Furthermore, this connection gives the children their first taste of science. Once or twice a year, they visit the university’s lecture halls together with the Institute of Physics. Under the guidance of staff members, they carry out small experiments there under the watchful eyes of the researchers. For many of the children, this is their first encounter with research – in a playful way and without any reservations.
For Ina Richter, this is precisely the core of her work: giving children a sense of security whilst at the same time sparking their curiosity. For her, the ‘CampusKids’ nursery is therefore more than just a childcare service. It is a family-friendly place on campus that makes everyday life easier for students and staff – and shows children that learning can begin anywhere: in the group room, on the playground, in the sports hall or even in a university lecture hall.
