Childhood Pedagogy - Health Promotion and Prevention at SRH Hochschule Heidelberg

Health promotion and health prevention

In addition to a solid basic education in general childhood education, you can choose your in-depth course of study from a number of attractive, practical offers during your studies. We will be happy to assist you with the selection so that you can use your individual strengths effectively.

Health includes not only the absence of illness, but also a comprehensive physical, mental and social well-being. According to the KiGGS study, children and adolescents belong to a comparatively healthy population group, but chronic, mental and psychosomatic illnesses are on the rise. In order to enable children and adolescents to grow up healthily, it is necessary to promote equal opportunities for health and to improve a healthy lifestyle. An early start of prevention measures is a crucial prerequisite for their effectiveness and sustainability. Movement promotion plays a central role in health prevention,

Contents of the course

The course includes content from the disciplines of general pedagogy, sociology, philosophy, psychology, social work, health and language sciences. During the course of the course, students learn to understand the theoretical relationships between the individual disciplines and to reflect on them in practice. Due to the changed social framework, the demands on the responsible institutions and the educators working there have increased enormously. In addition, the educational mandate has increasingly come into the public eye due to the current educational policy debates.

In the three-year course, the students acquire in addition to the basic specialist skills, in-depth methodological and managerial skills that are necessary for effective pedagogical action.

Career, prospects

The course opens up a wide range of professional fields in childcare facilities, family, social and specialist advice, inpatient work with children and adolescents in socio-educational and psychiatric institutions, and in the field of childhood research. There is also the option of entering self-employment and the international job market.

Due to the high demand for highly qualified specialists in childhood education work fields (from birth to 14 years of age), the graduates of the SRH University of Heidelberg are coveted specialists in the educational labor market with the completion of the state-recognized childhood educator (Bachelor of Arts).

With the acquired skills in the field of health prevention and physical activity promotion, you are particularly well prepared for the following fields of work:

• Educational institutions (day-care centers, schools, day-care centers) with a focus on "movement"
• Promotion of movement in daycare centers and schools
• sports clubs
• prevention projects
• Open child and youth work

There is also the option of earning a consecutive master's degree in “Social Work” with a focus on psychosocial counseling and health promotion after completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the SRH University in Heidelberg. In accordance with the Bologna process, this makes it possible to complete a university course (5 years with a master's degree / 300 ECTS points) with the basic qualification for a subsequent doctorate in the field of childhood education. There is also the possibility of postgraduate training as a licensed child and adolescent psychotherapist. Within the SRH Heidelberg University we offer this postgraduate training in the Heidelberg Academy for Psychotherapy (HAP) .