Mastering challenges in daycare daily routines as a team Daycare center leaders participated in the qualification "Specialist for Collegial Consultation / Intervision" within the Oberberg educational network

Strengthening daycare management through qualification

The daily work in daycare centers is increasingly characterized by staff shortages, high workloads, and limited resources. Management teams face the challenge of considering their team's burdens, dealing with constrained conditions, and simultaneously ensuring the welfare and protection of the children entrusted to them while strengthening the entire team.
To support daycare management, the Oberberg Education Office launched the "Qualification as a Specialist for 'Peer Counseling / Intervision'" offer as a pilot project in December 2025, as part of the "Round Table – Workforce Needs in Social and Educational Professions" initiative.
The project's goal was to empower managers to reflect on challenges with professional detachment while keeping an overview of the overall operations in their facilities. Additionally, they were trained to introduce the concept of "Peer Counseling" into their teams and establish it as a permanent component of collaboration. This enables the exchange of experiences, utilization of team knowledge, and joint development of solutions for professional challenges.
Thanks to the financial support from the Education Foundation of the Kreissparkasse Köln, the offer was free of charge for participants.
By June 2026, a total of 20 daycare managers from various municipalities in the Oberberg district—from Morsbach to Radevormwald—participated in the training and subsequent monthly meetings under the professional guidance of Sabine Lehmann (Systemic Organizational Consulting), divided into groups in the northern and southern district.

„Investing in the qualification of daycare center leaders is an investment in the future of our children. We are pleased to support this important project and thereby contribute to the sustainable assurance and further development of pedagogical quality in the institutions,“ explained Christian Brand, Managing Director of the Education Foundation.
„Our daycare centers make an indispensable contribution to children and families in the Oberberg District every day. To enable the leaders to successfully fulfill their responsible tasks even under challenging conditions, they need targeted support and opportunities for professional exchange. This qualification program strengthens leadership skills and simultaneously promotes resilience within teams,“ emphasized District Administrator Klaus Grootens.
„This project takes the societal responsibility partnership in education and upbringing very seriously with its approach and specifically strengthens leaders in daycare centers in their complex work assignments,“ explained Sabine Lehmann.
„Daycare center leaders are the pivotal points of their institutions. They lead teams, support families, and make daily decisions with great responsibility for the well-being of children. This demanding task deserves recognition, professional support, and strong networks for exchange,“ agreed Kerstin Pack and Birgit Steuer from the Oberberg Education Office.
The two groups in the southern and northern parts of the district aim to structurally anchor the exchange and reflection meetings and have scheduled further appointments for this purpose. Insights from the pilot phase are intended to flow into the further development of corresponding support offerings for daycare centers in the Oberberg Education Network.

Oberberg Education Network
In the Oberberg Education Network, daycare centers and schools collaborate with the Oberberg District, municipalities, the state of NRW, associations, and regional education stakeholders to offer children and young people good and successful learning and life opportunities. Together, they create support offerings in the form of, for example, training sessions, projects, material provisions, or events for children, young people, parents, as well as professionals in schools and daycare centers. Through exchange and connection within the network, synergies and added values are created that a single network actor could not have achieved alone. The collaboration is characterized by appreciation, openness, and the shared interest in the further development of the Oberberg educational location.
The office of the education network is the Oberberg Education Office.
Contact: Birgit Steuer (Head), Phone: 02261 88-4050, E-Mail: birgit.steuer@obk.de.