Children enjoy the new Tognum day care center

• First company child day care center opens in Friedrichshafen
• ‘MiniTu’ chosen above 700 other suggestions

Friedrichshafen, 3 June 2013. The first company child day care center has opened in Friedrichshafen. The specialist for propulsion and power solutions Tognum now provides close-to-work childcare in Prielmayerstrasse 13 in Friedrichshafen. All 40 of the crèche and kindergarten places have already been taken up by the children of company employees. They are looked after by 14 childcare staff at premises covering a total of 1,500 square meters of floor space. To find a suitable name for the establishment, a poll of the workforce was organized. A committee chose the name ‘MiniTu’ from the 700-plus suggestions submitted.

“The high demand for the day care places shows us that the investment of roughly five million euros was worthwhile,” said Executive Board member for Personnel and Integrity, Jörg Schwitalla, at the press conference in the newly established day care center. “We want to be an attractive employer both for our present staff and for prospective employees – and nowadays more than ever that includes a family-friendly approach. We decided on the company day care center to be able to meet the needs of staff with young children.”

The flexible opening times of 7:00 to 18:00h help staff to manage their work-life balance. MiniTu is closed on no more than ten days a year and so is also available during holiday periods. The educational concept has been worked out together with the operator of the facility, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. The overall concept places particular emphasis on incorporating the daily routines of family life. For example, a catering manager provides freshly cooked meals every day. And the children are positively encouraged to help with the preparation. They can also play in the garden, develop their creativity with painting, or explore and discover technology in their own workshop area. In keeping with the international character of the company, a special feature offered by the center is the opportunity for bilingual education. A British playleader talks to the children only in English. A parent-and-child area allows mums and dads to stay with their children during the familiarization phase or if the child is ill.

“By providing the child day care center we can enable mothers and fathers to return to work sooner. MiniTu is an important competitive factor for Tognum in the attraction of the location,” concluded Jörg Schwitalla. At the Open Day on 8 June all company staff and anyone else interested will have the chance to look around the new day care facility from 10:30 to 16:00h.