The Kindergarten Network was founded in 2020 in Windhoek by Kathrin Schmid, Heide Zirzow and Kathleen Romeis. The idea was born when Kathrin Schmid (B.A. Education and Social Management, state-certified educator and social pedagogue) took over the DHPS kindergarten management in 2019, in March 2020 the Corona pandemic posed great challenges to kindergartens and we noticed that many kindergartens had to cope with the same questions and problems. With Heide Zirzow, as a German-born Namibian with 30 years of professional experience, and Kathleen Romeis, a state-certified educator who emigrated to Namibia in 2015, the founding team of the network was born.

How can we support and network with each other? Who is where and what are the names of the others? Where do parents get information about educational institutions in Windhoek and what can we offer to compensate for the shortage of skilled educators? These questions have been the basis for the creation of the network. After the first meeting in October 2020, we found out that there is a need for networking/cooperation and a desire for training and further education among all the directors. We were impressed by the variety of pedagogical concepts, ideas and the number of institutions in Windhoek

This is how we set ourselves the common goals of the network, which are now written down in the rules and regulations and read as follows:

• We promote exchange and cooperation among the institutions.
• We are committed to promoting and assuring quality in the early childhood sector, e.g. further training opportunities.
• We represent the interests of all German-speaking educational institutions in a communal sense.
• We stand for equal opportunities for all institutions.

In 2023, the AGDS offered the opportunity for all German-speaking kindergartens in Namibia to participate in the Dieter Esslinger Conference in Otjiwarongo. Here we exchanged ideas with colleagues from all regions of Namibia – cooperation was established nationwide.