At the Frankfurt Book Fair, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and the German Library Association awarded the Kindergarten & Hort im Alten Schulhaus with the Buchkita seal of approval for its special commitment to promoting reading in early childhood.

The Buchkita seal of approval was awarded for the fourth time in 2022. The patron is the children’s book author and illustrator Paul Maar. The sponsors include the Beltz publishing group, Carlsen Verlag, Moritz Verlag, the Oetinger publishing group, Thienemann-Esslinger, S. Fischer Verlag GmbH – Fischer Sauerländer, Loewe Verlag GmbH and Magellan GmbH & Co KG. The seal of approval was initiated in 2019 by the Reading Promotion Interest Group of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and the Children’s and Young People’s Libraries Commission of the German Library Association.

The Buchkita seal of approval recognizes childcare facilities in which early childhood experiences involving storytelling, rhyming and reading are an integral part of the educational concept. Book daycare centers attach great importance to regular reading aloud, a varied approach to books, age-appropriate media education and enable children to encounter reading places such as bookshops or libraries.

The kindergarten & after-school care center in the old schoolhouse impressed with its holistic concept, which includes an in-house library with over 600 books and free lending for all children as part of a book exchange.

In 2022, 108 daycare centers across Germany were recognized for their special commitment to getting children interested in language and stories at an early age. A total of 260 facilities applied for the seal of approval. The Kindergarten & Hort im Alten Schulhaus was the only daycare center in the district of Ebersberg to receive this award to date.

“We are very pleased that this seal has made the great work of our team visible – and in an area that has been particularly important to us for many years,” says Carola Steiner, 1st Chairwoman of the Markt Schwaben e. V. preschool.

Heike Thamm, then Head of the Kindergarten & Hort im Alten Schulhaus, also emphasized the importance of the award:
“In times when digitalization continues to advance, it is particularly important for us educators that reading promotion continues to be an essential part of early childhood education. Reading promotes calmness, concentration and language development.”

The certification expired at the end of 2025. We plan to reapply for the Buchkita seal of approval in 2026 in order to once again highlight our ongoing commitment to promoting reading in early childhood – because with or without certification, the medium of books continues to be very important to us.

Further information can be found on the website www.guetesiegel-buchkita.de

Our facility has its own library with more than 3,000 books. Each child receives their own library card and can borrow books at any time. Thanks to our digital lending system, borrowing books is simple and clear. We also offer a weekly book exchange, where children can take a book of their choice home with them.

Books and stories accompany our everyday lives in many different ways:

• Advent stories with a visit from a gnome

• Picture book cinema

• Kamishibai storytelling theater

• Cozy reading corners

• Radio plays and Tonies

• Participation in the nationwide reading aloud day

• Cooperation with the Markt Schwaben community library, e.g. book driving license for preschool children

• Book boxes, e.g. the “Bee-Box” project of the sponsor

• Accompanying projects, games and creative activities to go with the stories

• Book exhibitions with selected new publications twice a year

We want to awaken the joy of reading, encourage the imagination and invite children to discover the world of books.