Organized by the Education Office within the City’s Department of Education in collaboration with the nonprofit “Aktion Kinder-Unfallhilfe e.V.” and the “Transition from Preschool to Elementary School” unit within the Office of Social Services, the project teaches important road safety lessons in a musical, lively, and interactive way. 

“We have been able to offer this valuable educational program in Wiesbaden since 2015, benefiting children from 33 schools and, since 2019, from daycare centers as well,” says Dr. Hendrik Schmehl, Head of the School Department, expressing his delight and thanking “Aktion Kinder-Unfallhilfe e.V.,” which once again covered the entire cost thanks to a Christmas fundraising campaign by R+V Insurance. 

The project takes a multifaceted approach: The focus was on three one-hour concerts featuring children’s songwriters Beate Lambert and Georg “FERRI” Feils, who brought to life the road safety project “Schau mal, hör mal, mach mal mit” (Look, Listen, Join In), initiated by Rolf Zuckowski. Their performances thrilled the children, who actively sang along, hopped, and danced. 

Prior to the events, teachers and educators received practical guidance in a three-hour workshop on how to integrate road safety education into daily life in a sustainable way. Additionally, joint activities between elementary schools and daycare centers—such as reciprocal visits, singing together, or practicing the route to school—promoted networking and the transition from daycare to elementary school. 

“The project not only teaches children important road safety concepts in a playful way, but also eases the transition from daycare to school. Furthermore, it fosters cooperation among the staff at the participating institutions,” explains Dr. Patricia Becher, Head of the Education Department. 

“Aktion Kinder-Unfallhilfe e.V.,” which has supported the project from the start, combines direct assistance for children involved in accidents with preventive accident prevention. “It’s impressive how much we can achieve through the solidarity of our partners and donors,” explains Dr. Jan Zeibig, a board member of the initiative. He notes that it is particularly gratifying that the project can be implemented regularly in Wiesbaden, the headquarters of R+V, thanks to the generosity of the employees. 

In total, the four elementary schools—Anton-Gruner-Schule, Brüder-Grimm-Schule, Hebbelschule, and Peter-Rosegger-Schule—participated along with seven daycare centers from their networks.