On Friday, 7 November 2025, the first graduates of the Bachelor's degree course in Childhood Education at the Faculty of Healthcare at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences were given a ceremonial send-off. Eleven students, who began their studies in the winter semester 2021 and successfully completed them after seven semesters, celebrated their state recognition as childhood educators on this evening.
Dean Prof. Dr Günter Meyer and Dean of Studies Prof. Dr Sandra Tschupke paid tribute to the graduates' achievements and emphasised the special significance of this degree programme for the region. Programme director Prof. Dr. Melanie Lietz also surprised them with short video sequences that impressively reflected the highlights of the course. "I hope that you will be able to build on your routines at the university and put your knowledge into practice. Do everything you can to find your own path and follow it. You will remain an anchor for us at Ostfalia, because our childhood education network will continue to grow with you," says Lietz.
The Childhood Education degree programme is characterised by a unique focus in Germany: the close integration of educational content with health-related skills. Among other things, students deal with emergency management in childhood education fields of activity, accident prevention in childhood as well as theoretical and practical exercises on paediatric emergencies in the faculty's simulation laboratory. The Bachelor's degree, which is geared towards professional practice, enables direct entry into a wide range of educational fields - from early childhood education and upbringing, educational counselling and media education to inpatient child and youth welfare.
The degree programme is the result of a cooperation project funded by the city of Wolfsburg. It is aimed at both existing educational professionals and prospective students with no previous educational experience.
