This project is a continuation of the "Promoting Parent-Child Relationships in Kindergartens - Adult Education/Early Help and Early Intervention in One Hand," concluded in December 2013. Building on the favorable outcomes observed during the initial project phase, where students were informally engaged as interaction partners for the children, the second phase was intentionally designed to concentrate on the systematic utilization of mentorships in kindergartens—an area that had not been previously explored.
Over a duration of at least one year, 53 IPU students committed to weekly meetings, during which they invested their time and focus in providing children with new learning and educational opportunities. The evolving connections and collective experiences were designed to contribute positively to the children's emotional, social, cognitive, motor, and language development, along with their personal growth. This initiative served as a preventive program, with the objective of enhancing children's resilience throughout their time in kindergarten.
Student participants in the "K-IPU" program were afforded the chance to put their academic subjects into practical application through mentoring. In conjunction with workshops and ongoing supervision, students engaged in the e-learning program "Early Help and Early Intervention in Child Protection" at the University of Ulm. Volunteer supervisors played a supportive role by assisting students in reflecting on their experiences as mentors and guiding them in theoretically contextualizing these experiences. The primary learning goal for students was to acquire and contemplate their initial encounters with the impact of relationships and their dynamics within educational/therapeutic settings.
A total of 53 psychology students consistently engaged with "their" mentee-child on a weekly basis, offering a relationship-oriented service grounded in voluntary participation. The primary responsibility of the student mentors was to collaborate with the child to foster development, with less emphasis on providing advice to the families. Beyond the child's developmental aspects, the volunteer mentors were also invested in cultivating the relationship. Examining the challenges and constraints encountered by the mentors due to the interplay between their personal circumstances, the specific environment, and other stakeholders appeared particularly pertinent.
Quality assurance was anchored on two foundational elements: ongoing documentation through the use of learning diaries and consistent support provided through volunteer supervision. Additionally, various questionnaires were employed. This concurrent research pertained to 38 mentorships, as 15 new sponsorships were introduced after the conclusion of data collection and were consequently excluded from the evaluation.
Employing learning diaries emerged as a crucial and effective method for both accompanying research and documentation, contributing to the quality assurance of mentorships.
Over a span of 28 months, six volunteer supervisors provided guidance for the mentorships. The students found the supervision to be highly beneficial, aiding in clarifying their roles, reflecting on the impact of their own life experiences, managing proximity and distance, and navigating challenging interactions with children and families without succumbing to resignation.
The ”mentee-children” demonstrated noteworthy advancements in their motor skills and cognitive abilities in the 6-6 development test throughout the duration of the mentorships. In the second measurement, conducted approximately one year after the initial assessment, a significantly higher number of children fell within the normal or even above-average range.
Original language: German