ULNA - the Scandinavian supporting association for day care facilities for children.

Dear parents and those interested in ULNA,
Our organisation was established in 1996 by Norwegians Trond and Bjørnar Ingvaldsen and Geir Hartmann as a supporting association for day care facilities for children. Now, ULNA supports 30 facilities in Norway and Sweden caring for approximately 1,800 children. The non-profit supporting association was established in 2012 in Germany and is a member of the Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverband (German Equality Welfare Organisation).

We combine the Reggio Emilia Approach with Scandinavian social understanding. The educational philosophy, which originates from the city of Reggio Emilia, understands education as a task that involves society as a whole. Since its ascertainment in the 60s, the philosophy has also taken root particularly in Scandinavian countries.

Based on the Reggio Emilia Approach, ULNA considers their day care facilities to be “Schools of Childhood” or “Learning Playgrounds”, and they see education as a task that involves society as a whole. We see it as our responsibility to create a framework whereby our children learn to cultivate their potential and their individual strengths and interests. We support the children’s educational process by assisting with “Learning Projects”, however, without specifying any result.

The name ULNA is made up of the Norwegian terms Utvikling, Lek, Nærhet and Ansvar.

Utvikling

Utvikling - Your child’s development is our priority

Children have an incredible thirst for knowledge and they always want to broaden their skills base. We see it as our duty to design learning processes in such a way that the pre-existing eagerness to learn develops into a part of their basic disposition.

We support every child with their development into an independent and active member of the community who is self-reliant, socially-conscious and capable.

Lek

Lek - Playing is the fundamental area that offers children experience.

Playing freely allows a child to decide independently what they want to play and who they want to play with. The activity, rather than the objective, is always the main priority. We differentiate between four types of themed playing, within which playing freely is encouraged and guided by our specialist educators.

Kinder auf dem Spielplatz — Explorative playing satisfies the children’s thirst for knowledge and helps them to take in the world around them.

Puppenspiel — Playing with puppets encourages the children to take in the world from different perspectives.

Kinder angeln am Fluss — Playing that is centred around construction games, in particular using natural and recycled materials, stimulates children’s creativity.

Darstellendes Spiel — Performative play allows the children to express feelings and relationships.

Naerhet

Nærhet- Creating closeness in solid relationships.

The children in our day care facilities practise social interaction every day, allowing them to discover their own identity. In our facilities, we create a positive atmosphere that allows the children to create bonds and to feel accepted. Therefore, they are able to develop their own values and to learn about conflict resolution.

Ansvar

Ansvar - Assuming and transferring responsibility

In our facilities, the children are allowed to contribute to decision-making processes such as what clothes to put on, who plays with who, and what they are going to make or eat. This allows the children to learn to take responsibility as well as to become practised in democratic approaches from an early age.