10/15/98   English German
  Edition # 10  
San Francisco, 10-15-98

Social work in the Tenderloin

Many people have recently asked what's going on with my work in the "Tenderloin Childcare Center". I'm still going twice a week, often even three times, when additional help is needed for trips or parties. I have been doing this for exactly one year so far.

The graduation ceremony with diploma award for the children in my group was celebrated in mid-August. "Graduation" because all the children in my group are moving on to kindergarten. Maybe you are wondering now: "Why kindergarten, we thought they were already in kindergarten?" You've got to know that although the German word "Kindergarten" is used in America, something completely different is meant by it. In Germany, we usually refer to the time from three years old to school entry as "Kindergarten time". Most children go to the same facility during this time, their kindergarten. In America, only the last year before school is referred to as "kindergarten".

Most kindergarten classes are already in the building of the elementary school. In America, kids usually enter school at 6 years of age. It is a common practice for kindergarten children to learn letters, numbers, etc. All facilities that the children visit before this American kindergarten time are either referred to as "Preschool" ("Preschool") or generally as "Childcare Center" or "Day Care Center". Confused? Don't worry, it took me quite a while to understand the differences.

Now you may be wondering why there is a graduation ceremony with diploma award for such small children. Are Americans totally crazy? Now to their honor, it should be said that normally such "graduation parties" only take place after successful completion of high school, college or university. These are then the typical parties that are often seen in American television programs. Each graduate has a gown in the colors of the school or university and a doctor's hat in the same color. Speeches are held, parents and other relatives sit with teary eyes in the audience and finally each graduate is called to the stage and his or her diploma is ceremoniously presented.

That's how the party went in the Tenderloin as well. The children had red robes and a red doctor's hat and got a certificate stating that they had successfully completed preschool. The question remains why such a fuss for such small children, couldn't there have been a nice graduation party from which the children themselves might have benefitted more? Many facilities like the "Tenderloin Childcare Center", for which I volunteer, now hold such highly official "graduation parties" because they say that most parents are dropouts and have never experienced their own party. Therefore, they should experience the positive experience of a "graduation" as often as possible through their children. I still have mixed feelings about this thought and can't really decide how I feel about this idea. It was interesting anyway.
Figure [1]: Graduation ceremony at the kindergarten

It was funny that each of us volunteers also received a certificate (although we had no robes). Chris (also a volunteer) and I were named the "volunteers of the year" due to our special commitment and engagement for the institution. We both received a book gift voucher and were particularly highlighted at the celebration, which honestly made me very happy. Maybe there is something to these celebrations after all.

I am still working with the older children (on average 4-5 years old) in the same group room now. I already know most of the children because they simply moved up from the neighboring group. The educator teams have also been newly composed for various reasons. Samantha, with whom I get along particularly well, is fortunately still in the group I come to volunteer in.

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