On-line enrollment for the spring semester at the Volkshochschule (Adult Education School) is now open, and in person from January 13th – 24th. Lots of great classes including learning German, or other foreign languages, art, exercise, music and much more. Especially affordable when using the €60 Bildungsscheck . Some of the German classes fill up fast so enroll now if you are interested. Many are in the evenings but there are also some in the mornings for example A1 Mondays at 9:00, B2 Fridays 10:30 and C1 Fridays 8:30.
An additional bonus – if you are enrolled in a German course, you can also sign up for a free guided tour of the city (#359 May 15th 17:00) or the Graz Museum (#360 May 22nd & June 20th 16:30).
I can also recommend the AK library at Hanuschgasse 3 . They have a large selection of books, DVDs, audio books, magazines and e-books, plus it’s free to get a library card!
I recently visited the brand new ‘Krabbelstube’ kids room where they offer free daycare while you attend a course (run by Die Kinderfreunde). It looked really cozy and they accept babies and kids up to 14 years. They have a similar pedagogical approach to regular kindergartens. They also have a garden to play in, sleeping room, area for older kids to do their homework etc. Opening hours are 8:00 – 19:00 Monday – Thursday and Fridays 8.00 – 14:00. You need to register separately for the Krabbelstube at vhs@akstmk.at or 05-7799-5000 in addition to your course registration. Once accepted, you can then attend a ‘schnupperstunden’ – 1 hour session together with your child. So they can get used to the room & staff before your course starts.
Plus while on maternity leave, if you are a AK member (i.e. been working in Styria) you are eligible for €1,000 to be used for classes up until your child’s second birthday (just look for the AK logo next to the course title for eligible classes). So another good reason to take advantage of the free childcare and learn something new during your leave!
My Graz 