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The emergency childcare service through famPLUS in the Cologne/Düsseldorf area has received a boost: With Leo-Kinderevents, a competent, reliable, and experienced partner has been gained.
We asked agency founder Stephanie Beivers how the whole thing works—from a parent's perspective. The questions were posed by Christine Finke, herself a mother of three and working.
Hello Ms. Beivers, can you tell us something about Leo Children Events?
Beivers: Leo Children's Events is a children's event agency founded by me in 2010. We organize child supervision at corporate events, weddings, conferences, and occasionally even a children's birthday party. Our specialty is therefore the supervision and entertainment of large groups of children.
Why do you work with famPLUS?
We learned about famPLUS from a valued contact in Munich and were immediately thrilled. I am a mother of two young children, Leo and Matilda, and I know how difficult it can be to balance family and career. There’s the preschool closing inconveniently on a bridging day or appointments that clash with the daycare's opening hours. Even though 1-to-1 childcare isn't directly part of our business areas, we certainly can provide it and would like to contribute to the balance of family and career by participating in famPLUS.
How are your childcare providers trained?
We are a diverse group of kindergarten teachers, educators, and students. Everyone on our team has experience working with children and is passionate and enthusiastic about it. Additionally, we have training in first aid for children.
How far in advance should one contact you for the required appointment?
We are happy if we are asked at least 24 hours in advance. In individual cases, we can certainly accommodate shorter lead times, but the more lead time we have, the greater the chance that we can also help.
Does it always work? What if the caregiver and child don't understand each other?
We have our tricks and techniques and enough ideas up our sleeve to quickly and lovingly get a child accustomed to us. Since we’ve been around, it has never happened that someone from our team couldn’t get along with a child at all. We coordinate closely with the parents beforehand and as a result, we know exactly what our little clients particularly enjoy.
What activities do your child caregivers do with the children?
That all depends on the wishes of the parents and the child. We help with homework, we go to the playground, we play with the children. If a child is cared for throughout the day, our caregivers ensure a balanced mix of action and rest periods, which is easy for my staff due to their long experience in dealing with children. So the parents don't get back an overexcited or overtired child, but a balanced and happy one.
At what times of day and night is your service bookable? And what does it cost?
We discuss this individually with the parents, but we are very committed to making everything possible. The cost is 25 € net per hour plus a travel allowance.
Do you also take care of sick children?
No, unfortunately, we can't do that. A sick child needs special care, which we unfortunately cannot provide.
How does it work the first time someone books you?
The parents contact us directly, preferably by email or phone, and we will ensure they receive assistance. There is no additional placement fee; the parents cover the childcare costs (in selected cases, the employer may also cover these costs; please consult famPLUS in specific situations).
When we visit a family for the first time, we discuss everything beforehand: What is the child allowed to do, does the child have allergies, what are the meal and sleep times, how can we best reach the parents...
We go through a short questionnaire and after that, we are well-prepared. For the first appointment, we need 45 minutes in advance due to the questionnaire. For subsequent appointments, 30 minutes. After the care, the family or employer will receive an invoice, which can be conveniently transferred.
