An anniversary climbing frame
The CJD daycare facility SIEGENIA-Kids celebrates its 10th birthday
It wasn't just the SIEGENIA kids who were happy: in glorious sunshine on 7th September, the CJD daycare facility SIEGENIA-Kids celebrated 10 years since first opening its doors. The 15 preschool children and their parents and siblings were also joined by a number of guests, as well as representatives of our cooperation partner CJD, who all came together for a colourful celebration for young and old in Wilnsdorf-Niederdielfen. They took the opportunity to see for themselves the many ways in which the daycare centre promotes the development of employees' children.
In his welcoming speech, SIEGENIA's Managing Partner Wieland Frank emphasised the importance of the daycare centre for SIEGENIA employees and for helping them balance family and career. A few moments later, the children's eyes lit up as they helped him unveil a new climbing frame as a ‘birthday present’. 'The children really enjoy exploring what they are physically capable of,' says Sabrina Stein, head of the daycare centre. 'They particularly love climbing. So we are delighted with this generous gift!'
Following a short service, it was time for ‘Curtain up for SIEGENIA-Kids’: after countless rehearsals behind closed doors and a few days with the film team from SIEGENIA's marketing department, the children were filled with pride as they surprised their parents with a video of them performing ‘The Bird Wedding’ by Rolf Zuckowski. The guests enjoyed barbequed food, vegetable sticks, chips and tarte flambée from the mobile oven, courtesy of the Niederdielfen local heritage society, before a fun-filled afternoon of activities. Among the highlights were a magician, a crafting table where children could make their own bracelets, a face-painting station with glitter tattoos, and a bouncy castle. SIEGENIA's trainees also got involved with a great activity: working side by side with the children, they used 3D printers to make cars and milled pencils and folding rulers.
Do you speak English?
The daycare centre opened in 2014, offering parents a high degree of flexibility with its generous opening hours. The standard of care is also second to none – and that remains the case to this day. Besides daycare centre manager Sabrina Stein, the team looking after the children also includes two preschool teachers, an early years specialist and a housekeeper, as well as a native English speaker. As an international company, SIEGENIA is keen to support foreign language learning right from preschool age: children at the daycare centre are greeted with a friendly ‘Good Morning’ every day, as well as the usual ‘Guten Morgen’. Both the daycare centre and the company also place a high value on introducing children to the fields of maths, IT, science, technology and sustainable development through play. SIEGENIA-Kids was recently recognised by the ‘Stiftung Kinder forschen’ (Children's Research Foundation) for its extensive commitment to promoting STEM learning.
Children at the daycare centre also receive valuable developmental stimulation through sports, games and physical activity, as well as through a collaborative project with the local retirement home ‘Haus an der Weiß’. The comprehensive programme offered by the daycare centre is met with enthusiasm from parents and children alike: 'There's a real family feel to what we do. The size of our team enables us to cater to each child individually. Our joint events also help parents to develop a sense of belonging and community, too. We are really looking forward to the next ten years!’ says Sabrina Stein.