Papilio: Strengthening children in the Oberberg district from the beginning Free informational event to promote psychosocial health in daycare centers and child care

Oberbergischer Kreis. The early years of life are crucial for psychosocial health. When children learn to understand emotions, build relationships, and resolve conflicts fairly during this time, it benefits them for a lifetime. This is exactly where the Papilio programs for promoting children's social-emotional skills come into play.

The Oberbergischer Kreis is initiating the implementation of the scientifically-based prevention programs Papilio U3 and Papilio-3bis6 for daycare centers and child day care — starting with Papilio-U3 for the early years of life. "Every child in the Oberbergischer Kreis should have good and as comparable as possible starting opportunities for healthy development. A stable social-emotional development is an important foundation for this," says District Administrator Klaus Grootens. "With the support of BARMER, we are rolling out Papilio across the district and strengthening the educational professionals in daycare centers and child day care. Our goal is clear: in the long term, as many children as possible should benefit from this prevention program."

BARMER supports the implementation of the Papilio program as part of its prevention efforts in many other regions of Germany — now also in the Oberbergischer Kreis. "Health promotion is best started in early childhood, and Papilio strengthens exactly those skills that children need for healthy development: resilience, empathy, and conflict resolution skills," says Domenico Bertola, Regional Manager of the health insurance company in the Oberbergischer Kreis.

To kick things off, Papilio, the Oberbergischer Kreis, and BARMER as prevention partners invite all local private and public providers, educational professionals, child day care workers, and daycare managers to an online information event on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Participation is free of charge.

Registration required: www.papilio.de/oberbergischer-kreis

With the Papilio programs, prevention begins in the early years of life — where important foundations for psychosocial health are laid. The focus is on adults who accompany children daily. Through training, educational professionals are empowered to consciously shape relationships and professionally support children in their social-emotional development. The Papilio-U3 program has been proven to help prevent behavioral problems — effectively, sustainably, and as a natural part of quality education. "For healthy development, children need sensitive relationships with adults," says Dr. Charlotte Peter, Co-Managing Partner of Papilio. "With Papilio, we provide our professionals with the tools to create exactly that and also relieve them in the process."

Look forward to a diverse event with professional insights and illustrative practical examples. You will get to know selected contents of the programs and have space for exchange and open questions.

The introduction of the Papilio prevention programs in the Oberbergischer Kreis is made possible by BARMER as a prevention partner. Additionally, there is support from the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), initiated by the German Forum for Crime Prevention Foundation (DFK).