A daycare spot for the baby - organized even before birth

When Jutta Ritter* (34) was expecting her first child in early summer 2015, she promptly took care of organizing childcare for resuming work after parental leave, in line with her profession as a senior office manager at a renowned law firm in Stuttgart.

I did the same thing when I informed my employer that I was pregnant," recalls the young mother. It was clear to her that she would get help from famPLUS to organize the care for her baby.

On the one hand, she was familiar with the service from famPLUS through an announcement in the intranet, but since she herself is the contact person for the cooperation on questions about the balance between work and family and other employee-friendly benefits within the company, she was already well-acquainted with the offerings from famPLUS. The 34-year-old logged in with her company email to famPLUS and arranged for a detailed telephone consultation appointment.

I didn’t know what I needed. And in two respects, the consultation was good: it cut a path through the jungle of possibilities for me. In a short time, I received a list of information tailored to me. Neighborhoods, childcare hours, and costs of daycare centers, as well as a list of childminders," the office manager describes her reasons for seeking professional advice. "For me, the huge advantage was not having to do the research myself. Everything was pre-filtered. I had a list of suitable institutions that were relevant to me." Now, Jutta Ritter only had to choose and decide together with her husband in whose hands she would most like to place her child.

The expectant mother visited two childminders and found the concept of giving her child to a foreign household unsuitable for her, even if it works wonderfully for other families. Therefore, the Ritter family preferred to enroll their child in one of the private nurseries and simultaneously registered their child with municipal daycare centers with waiting lists, which is facilitated through a portal of the city. “Private nurseries, of course, cost much more than publicly funded ones,” says the office manager matter-of-factly. And so it was logical to keep the option open to choose a municipal nursery for their baby. Incidentally, this decision was also a result of the consultation with famPLUS experts, who listen very closely to the needs of families seeking advice.

famPLUS had pre-filtered who still has room near us to take in my child," explains Jutta Ritter gratefully, because this point usually costs parents many calls, emails, and nerves in their search for a daycare spot. The baby, due in December 2015, is to be cared for by the mother until July 2016. "Then my husband will take parental leave and handle the settling-in period, and I will go back to work 70-80% from August. I know my position; it's not feasible with a reduced workload," explains the 34-year-old about her private childcare and family management.

Jutta Ritter reports with satisfaction that she found the consultation with the famPLUS experts to be "very friendly and reliable." And when she returns to her desk in August 2016 and employees inquire whether she has an idea on how they could organize private childcare, the office manager can not only recommend the family service in her capacity as a company contact person, but also personally. She now knows firsthand that the balance between work and family can work well thanks to her employer's cooperation.

*Name changed by the editorial team, facts all authentic

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