September 2026 Newsletter
News from TU Dortmund University
The HoKiDo e.V. daycare center will open its doors to all interested parents and children on November 28, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Visitors are warmly invited to get to know the facility, its program, and the staff in person.
HoKiDo e.V. is an independent parent-led initiative located on the North Campus of TU Dortmund University at Emil-Figge-Straße 57. A total of eighty children are cared for in five core groups, two of which form the so-called “nest groups.” These groups care for children from birth to two years of age. Children aged two and older are divided into three workshop groups: the art studio, the construction workshop, and the role-play room. HoKiDo also offers short-term childcare, where children from approximately 10 months to 4 years of age can be cared for flexibly for up to four hours per day.
Registration for the open house is not required. The HoKiDo team looks forward to welcoming visitors of all ages!
HoKiDo cordially invites everyone interested to the Fall and Winter Flea Market on November 7, 2026 . The flea market will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at HoKiDo, located at Emil-Figge-Str. 57 ( Entrance 11). Children’s clothing and toys will be for sale. There will also be cake, drinks, and a barbecue stand.
Anyone interested in setting up a booth at the flea market can contact HoKiDo by email: flohmarkt@hokido.de. There is no booth fee. However, HoKiDo would appreciate a donation to support the organization’s causes.
The HoKiDo Parents' Café has a varied and cozy lineup of events planned for fall and winter!
The following events are planned:
- Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Story Time
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: Climate-Friendly Spreads
- Tuesday, December 15, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Cookies, Candles, and Hot Chocolate
Feel free to stop by, meet new people, and get inspired. The HoKiDo team looks forward to seeing you! You can register by emailing info@hokido.de.
Choosing the right degree program is an exciting step toward your future. To help students learn about different academic departments and get a first glimpse of everyday university life, TU Dortmund University offers the “Schüler*innencampus” program to support academic and career orientation. The departments provide events and information tailored to various age groups.
Lecture Series “Between Breakfast and Borussia”
The Physics Department’s lecture series “Between Breakfast and Borussia,” for example, brings exciting topics related to physics to life on stage in an accessible and engaging way. The series is aimed at the general public, from curious adults to children and teenagers. The lectures are given by speakers from the TU Dortmund University community and take place on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in Lecture Hall Building II.
What’s especially exciting: High school students can take a quiz right there in the lecture hall. Anyone who earns a student certificate through this will have it credited as a course requirement in their first semester if they later pursue a degree in physics or medical physics at TU Dortmund University!
News from Dortmund and the surrounding area
The Dortmund Student Services Organization, in cooperation with the German Red Cross (DRK) in Dortmund, is offering an online event on the topic of “First Aid for Children” for anyone interested.
- When: Tuesday, November 17, 2026; 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
- Cost: Free
- Target audience: Parents, family members, students, and anyone interested
Since August 1, there has been a new temporary care facility run by the Mütterzentrum in cooperation with the Dortmund Youth Welfare Office on the North Campus. The “Springmäuse” facility provides temporary care for children who cannot be cared for at their usual daycare center in Dortmund for a short period of time. This service is available, for example, when the child’s regular childcare provider is unavailable due to illness or vacation. At “Springmäuse,” the children are cared for by three qualified and experienced childcare providers. Children can be cared for Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
To get to know the team and the facilities in advance, we regularly hold open house afternoons and playdates. In addition, the Mütterzentrum’s advisors are happy to provide you with personalized counseling.
Contact
Advisors:
Stephanie Ettinger (Phone: 0231 477325926)
Sabrina Weiss (Phone: 0231 477325911)
By email to info@springmäuse-dortmund.de
The upcoming fall break offers children and teens a great opportunity to try new things, get active, or discover nature and culture right on their doorstep. In Dortmund and the surrounding area, there are various vacation programs and recreational activities to choose from.
- Erlebt-was e.V.: Experiential education vacation programs with a focus on physical activity, team building, and outdoor activities
- TSC Eintracht Dortmund: Sports camps and physical activity programs for various age groups
- Querwaldein Dortmund: Nature- and environment-focused vacation camps centered on exploring the forest and nature
- Dortmunder U: Cultural and creative workshops where children can get hands-on experience with digital media, art, and design
- Dortmund Zoo: Creative crafts, fun playtime, and many fascinating zoo animals
The ruhrpottKIDS website also features numerous workshops, courses, camps, and childcare options for the summer break in the Ruhr region.
Go to “Vacations in the Ruhr Region” on ruhrpottKIDS
To the NRW Leisure Portal: Day-trip destinations and events for families in North Rhine-Westphalia
A small children's and baby flea market will take place on October 17, 2026, at the Regenbogenhaus in Westfalenpark, Dortmund. The market will feature clothing and toys for children ages 0 to 14. Parents who would like to pass on their own favorite items can also register as sellers.
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Location: Regenbogenhaus in Westfalenpark, An der Buschmühle 3, 44139 Dortmund
- Cost: Included in the regular park admission fee
The Fredenbaum Adventure World in northern Dortmund is a place for families, children, and teens. It combines recreation, education, and nature on a sprawling grounds. At the Fredenbaum Adventure World, visitors will find plenty of space to move around and socialize, whether on a spontaneous family outing or as part of an organized group visit. The centerpiece of the facility is an impressive BIG TIPI that soars 37 meters into the air. There is also a large water and sand play area, a soccer cage, foosball, and various balance courses. Numerous other play structures are available for free use on the activity field. Animal-assisted education programs are also offered, ensuring there’s something for everyone to discover and experience.
Between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., there are also open hands-on activities. These include, for example, creative workshops, group cooking over campfires, and guided tree climbing.
The City of Dortmund’s latest brochure for fathers once again features interesting events and resources for fathers and their children. In October, activities include a day in the woods and a visit to the alpaca pasture, where participants can bake bread on a stick together. In November, there’s an autumn day in the woods, and in December, fathers and their children can participate in baking cookies together. Another regular event is the Fathers’ Meetup, which takes place every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Dortmund Mothers’ Center. The Fathers’ Meetup is aimed at fathers with children ages 0 to 3.
Whether it’s a climbing area, a mud pit, or a soccer field—Dortmund has countless great playgrounds to offer! If you’re looking for new inspiration for your next family outing, check out the City of Dortmund’s interactive playground map. You can easily filter the results by neighborhood or specific features. Many of the playgrounds are now equipped with inclusive play equipment as well.
The Dortmund Family Offices, in collaboration with various partners, offer a series of ongoing events for families. These events are generally free of charge. The current brochure lists all events, dates, and additional information.
The following ongoing events are offered:
- Griffbereit and griffbereitMINI: Multilingual playgroups providing holistic language support for families with children ages 1 to 3 (pp. 12–17)
- FIP – Café at the Family InfoPoint: Open gathering for families with infants and toddlers (pp. 18–21)
- Exchange and Socializing: Various social activities, e.g., toddler groups, parent meetups, or topic-specific consultation hours (pp. 22–28)
- Physical Activity Programs: Various physical activity programs such as parent-child gymnastics or the “Bewegungszwerge” project, offered in cooperation with the Movement Clinic at TU Dortmund University (pp. 29–32)
Every first Sunday of the month , the entire Dortmunder U is transformed into a family-friendly destination. There are special guided tours for children of all ages, arts-and-crafts and painting workshops led by art educators, group gaming sessions, scavenger hunts, children’s book readings, and theater performances. Selected films are also shown in the U’s cinema. For the special exhibition, there’s a special rate of 15 euros for two adults with up to three children (ages 17 and under).
The Dortmunder U is once again offering a varied program for children and teens from Wednesday through Saturday:
- Wednesdays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.: Audio production in the Audio Lab (recommended for children ages 10 and up)
- Wednesdays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.: Photography, Perspectives (recommended for children ages 12 and up)
- Wednesdays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.: Drawing, Manga Total (recommended for children ages 10 and up)
- Thursdays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.: Animation, Frame by Frame (recommended for children ages 10 and up)
- Fridays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.: Game Design, Pixel Player (recommended for children ages 12 and up)
- Fridays, 5:00–7:00 p.m. or Saturdays, 2:00–6:00 p.m.: Gaming at the Gamelab (recommended for children ages 12 and up)
At the Storytelling Café, seniors gather once a month on Wednesdays in a pleasant atmosphere to share their experiences and memories. Each meeting is dedicated to a specific theme, which may relate, for example, to the season, the neighborhood, historical events, or current developments.
All seniors who would like to share their own stories and experiences are warmly welcome. Participation is free of charge.
Interesting Projects, Offers, and Surveys
Motherhood is not merely a private experience, but a central sphere of sociopolitical and democratic experience. The lecture series “(F)empowering Motherhood—Motherhood and Democracy” examines care work in order to develop new narratives that go beyond conservative or anti-feminist norms. The series is a collaborative event organized by the FEM POWER Vision project in partnership with the Network on Motherhood and Science and icp Berlin.
To kick off the series , an online event will focus on the topic “Mothering—Subversive Care as a Radical Practice.” Purnima Vater and Carolina Tamayo Rojas will center care work and caregiving as reflexive, resistant, and deeply political acts. Drawing on their anthology of the same name, they challenge hegemonic norms and demonstrate how care can function as a means of knowledge transfer and a space for social transformation.
Registration is available by emailing czerney@kgc-sachsen-anhalt.de.
Scientific conferences often pose organizational challenges for researchers with caregiving responsibilities. A project by the Climate Monitoring Working Group at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Bonn addresses this very issue and identifies ways to make conferences and professional meetings more family-friendly. The project highlights specific approaches and best-practice examples to improve the balance between family life and academic work, even while traveling and attending conferences.
An initial report titled “Toward Family-Friendly Conferences: Results from a First Survey in the Geosciences” contains insightful information on the needs of parents as well as on the acceptance of family-friendly measures within the scientific community. Recommendations include childcare services, family-friendly facilities, and networking opportunities, as well as adjusted schedules and options for hybrid participation. In addition, financial support is desirable—for example, to allow parents to bring a companion—along with active efforts to raise awareness about family equity.
The German Youth Institute (DJI) invites you to a brief online event via Webex on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will focus on the scientific findings from the current family report by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), for which the DJI compiled the data-based section. Antonia Birkeneder, Dagmar Müller, and Dr. Laura Castiglioni from the “Family Policy and Family Support” research group will present selected findings. The experts will shed light on the everyday realities of families in North Rhine-Westphalia. Participation is free of charge.
Good to know
Short-term childcare (KuKi) is a service for children from approximately 10 months to 4 years of age. It is available to students, employees, and guests of TU Dortmund University. At KuKi, children can be cared for up to 4 hours a day. The care hours can be arranged individually between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Qualified staff provide loving, respectful care.
Care is tailored to each family’s specific needs. Both long-term and short-term, time-limited contracts are available. Care for individual days or on short notice can also be arranged by agreement. In this way, KuKi offers a particularly flexible solution for families who do not need regular care every weekday or who only require half-day care on a daily basis.
Childcare takes place at HoKiDo on the North Campus. The cost per half-day of childcare is €9.50 for students and €13.50 for employees.
KuKi looks forward to hearing from you and will be happy to advise you on your individual childcare needs!
Contact
, Rhona Remiorz,
, kuki@hokido.de, Tel.: +49 (0)231 18 74 515
The Haus Auszeit in Bochum offers a modern setting for educational and pediatric care and support for children and adolescents with disabilities. The goal is to provide a respite for parents, children, and siblings. The facility opened in 2024 and features a spacious outdoor area, a modern swimming pool, and a Snoezelen room for relaxation and therapy. There are 16 spots available for short-term care. Upon request, the facility provides comprehensive advice on the costs of short-term stays and notes that accommodation is primarily funded by the regional associations LWL, LVR, or other funding agencies. As a result, out-of-pocket costs are generally minimal.
Short Interviews
Fun Facts
It is often said that the roles siblings take on—such as the role of the oldest sibling or the baby of the family—have a significant impact on their personalities. Quarks and Co. shed light on the clichés about siblings:
Contact, Counseling Options & Feedback
Our Family Services offers a wide range of counseling options to help you balance family responsibilities with your studies, training, academic pursuits, and career. We support students and employees in finding personalized solutions for their unique life situations.
Possible topics might include:
- I’m pregnant while I’m in school—what should I do?
- Maternity leave for students
- Studying with a child or children
- Balancing work and family
- Parental leave and parental benefits for employees
- Childcare near campus
- On Campus with a Child (or Children)
- Caring for Family Members (Due to Age, Illness, or Disabilities)
To schedule an appointment, please contact us at familien-service@tu-dortmund.de or by phone. We look forward to hearing from you!
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