ESC: Long-term volunteering at Viljandi Männimäe Kindergarten

Kindergarten Männimäe is situated in Viljandi, Estonia, and provides pre-school education for about 200 children. Our kindergarten is one of the biggest in the city. We have 11 groups of children (ages 2-7); 3 of them are groups for children with learning disabilities and various special needs. We have around 55 wonderful staff members. Our kindergarten has a nice indoor pool, a big music hall, and a gym. Although our kindergarten is old and needs renovation, our rooms are big, bright, and colorful. So are our children and people who work here: happy, very kind and with big smiles. Kindergarten Männimäe is located in one of the most beautiful places in the city: next to a hiking trail, overlooking the beautiful lake. The trail is 13.5 km long, and it can be passed both on foot and on a bicycle. Next to the path is also a disc golf park. Every autumn and spring, we have events for families on the hiking trail. With families, we are celebrating Christmas, Mother's Day, Kindergarten birthday. 3-4 times a year, various theaters visit our kindergarten. We have many exciting events for our staff: visits to the spas, museums, theaters e.t.c. (In Viljandi is the theater Ugala and the puppet theater.) Since 2001, our kindergarten has been a member of the network of health-promoting kindergartens. In 2012, kindergarten Männimae joined the program "Free from bullying." The motto of Kindergarten Männimäe is "A joint joyful family. " Our vision is: our kindergarten, we have happy children, satisfied parents, and continuously developing staff.