The family-run Munich crèches and nurseries are using Amazon Business to optimize their procurement process and to satisfy German formalities, giving staff more time to concentrate fully on the needs of the children.

From A for art supplies to Z for zoo-themed displays: from now on, the eight Minihaus München nurseries, five centres for children with special needs, the International Kids Campus and the International Bilingual School Munich will get everything children from crèche age to starting school need for playing games, playing sports, making music or enjoying craft activities primarily from Amazon Business.

The company aimed to optimize its internal procurement process before opening a further Minihaus in autumn 2022 and found a strong strategic partner for it in Amazon Business. Staff at all locations can now simply order themselves whatever they need for their work with the children – without running the risk of breaching internal procurement guidelines.

Minihaus München, a family-owned company, has its roots in the setting up of a parents’ initiative to help with dyslexia and dyscalculia by Liselotte Eckerl-Riesch in 1974. The family company now also includes Kinderhaus München, the International Kids Campus and the International Bilingual School Munich which, between them, look after a total of up to 1,500 children a day using education professionals.

The educational concept of Minihaus nurseries focuses on the needs of children; they are able to try out music, movement, language, reading and writing, art, nature and technology while being cared for. In order to ensure that the products required for this – musical instruments, gymnastics mats or coloured pencils, for example - comply with strict specifications and that staff do not waste too much time on orders, the company searched for a partner to facilitate efficient procurement and at the same time, simplify the procurement process. As a large number of staff are already familiar with Amazon from their private shopping experiences, and procurement for the company often happened through Amazon anyway, a strategic partnership between Minihaus München and Amazon Business was the logical next step.

Minihaus München now implements its entire procurement process via Amazon Business, bringing a number of benefits:

• transparency: Minihaus has a complete overview of all expenditure and purchasing habits across the company.
• time-savings: both orders and acceptance of deliveries are now completed much more quickly.
• invoicing from Amazon: the Amazon Business 1-creditor model means that invoicing runs smoothly and efficiently, even with orders from lots of different suppliers.
• centrally specified procurement guidelines: automation and simplification of procurement processes allow individual employees to make purchases themselves within centrally specified guidelines. Staff from different locations can select from a wide range of products simultaneously.
• simpler approval process: as all staff have access to the same products, management can approve the purchase of specific products just once for all locations.

“Our collaboration with Amazon Business has enabled us to optimize our procurement process significantly,” says Jacqueline Gröger-Eckerl, Deputy Managing Director of Minihaus München. “The team managers at our eight Minihaus nurseries, 5 centres for children with special needs, International Kids Campus and International Bilingual School can now quite simply decide for themselves what they need for their facility – saving us time and money as a result.”

“We are delighted to be supporting Minihaus München in reorganizing their procurement processes,” says Wolfgang Eckert, Country Manager Amazon Business Germany. “Our partnership enables the Minihaus nurseries to optimize procurement and consequently invest even more time in looking after the children.”

“From potato to French fries” or: “How do you actually make bubble solution?”

Minihaus München receives “Haus der kleinen Forscher” award for its STEM programme

Diana and Maximilian are doing an experiment in the “Scientists’ House” at the Pippinger Strasse nursery: Diana pours a litre of water into a container, whilst Maximilian whisks a teaspoon of baking powder into it. The two Minihaus München nursery school children then take it in turns to add wallpaper paste, washing-up liquid and guar gum powder. And just like that, the two little scientists have finished making their home-made bubble solution which they will shortly try out at the Pasing day nursery’s summer fête.

Experiments and research are a firm fixture on the Pippinger Strasse nursery’s curriculum right from the start. Once a week, each of the total of eight groups at the Minihaus nursery visits the Scientists’ House specially-built in the nursery grounds to address a particular topic. The children now often pick this topic themselves, reports Minihaus München’s deputy head of education, Silvia Wick. One project, for example - “Tremendous tuber – from potato to French fries” - saw the children planting potatoes themselves, then harvesting them and making them into French fries. “Everyone thought the result was tasty.” Another project involved bees. In this case, the children’s activities included creating a complex collage, making honeycombs out of pasta and finally, visiting a beekeeper to watch him work and experience the bees in action.

This spring, the nursery received an official award from the “Little Scientists’ House” foundation. The award has just been celebrated with a fun summer fête at the nursery involving all the children and their families. “We are very proud of being certified a Little Scientists’ House,” explains Elke Hefele, nursery manager at Pippinger Strasse, adding: “This lends yet more weight to our theme of research and experimentation.” Silvia Wick adds: “Certification allows the outside world, too, to see the valuable work being done here in STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths.“

For the summer fête, one of the group home rooms was turned into a little exhibition to bring to life research topics at Minihaus, with parents able to admire everything the children had covered and discovered in their projects. Even the youngest children can join in, emphasizes Silvia Wick. “For crèche-age children, their whole lives revolve around discovering the world with all their senses. It starts with a growing awareness of their own bodies.” Certification is valid for two years, after which the Minihaus can apply for recertification. (jh)

The “Haus der kleinen Forscher” foundation aims to facilitate routine contact with scientific, technical, engineering and mathematical topics for children at the nursery/primary school stage. It supports educational professionals with in-service training to enable them to accompany children as they discover, research and learn in everyday scenarios. The foundation is the largest German education initiative in the early years sector. It works with a large network of partners and is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung [Federal Ministry of Education and Research]. For more information, go to www.haus-der-kleinen-forscher.de.

“From bulb to tulip and from potato to French fries”

Minihaus certified as a "Haus der kleinen Forscher"

The Minihaus in Pippinger Strasse has focussed on research and experiments for some years - and the nursery has now been officially certified by the “Haus der kleinen Forscher” [Little Scientists’ House] foundation.

“We are delighted that we can now call ourselves a Little Scientists’ House,” explains deputy head of education at Minihaus München, Silvia Wick. “It means we can demonstrate our special educational work in STEM subjects externally as well.”

So-called STEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – play a key role in the daily routine at the Pippinger Strasse nursery. The curriculum for individual groups includes a weekly research session for which educational staff prepare a variety of projects. “One group, for example, examined tulip bulbs in time for the start of spring; they planted the bulbs and then watched the tulips grow,” reports Silvia Wick. Colour was added to the water later to enable the children to see the “channels” via which the tulip gets its food. Another project was called “Tremendous tuber – from potato to French fries”. In this case, the children planted potatoes themselves, then harvested them and made them into French fries.

Even the youngest children can get involved, Silvia Wick is keen to point out. “Everything children experience in their daily routine involves research and experimenting. It starts with a growing awareness of their own bodies. Even in the crèche, we make a start of raising the children’s awareness of nature.” The results of experiments are noted down and recorded by means of photos on posters, for example, so that parents, too, get an insight into the work which is going on.

“Certification as a Little Scientists’ House means we benefit not only by getting more parents; it also helps us with recruitment,” asserts Silvia Wick. Certification is valid for two years, after which the Minihaus can apply for recertification.

The “Haus der kleinen Forscher” foundation aims to facilitate routine contact with scientific, technical, engineering and mathematical topics for children at the nursery/primary school stage. It supports educational professionals with in-service training to enable them to accompany children as they discover, research and learn in everyday scenarios. The foundation is the largest German education initiative in the early years sector. It works with a large network of partners and is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung [Federal Ministry of Education and Research]. For more information, go to www.haus-der-kleinen-forscher.de. (jh)

MINIHAUS München TÜV-certified again!

TÜV Süd confirms MINIHAUS München’s ISO 9001 certification with a QM quality seal for the third year running.

TÜV examiner Stefan Blättermann joined us at MINIHAUS München for a total of three days, subjecting the office, the facilities in Freiham and Pasing, and our two nurseries in Fürstenrieder Strasse to close examination. Portfolios, design, documentation: everything was visited and thoroughly checked. MINIHAUS München passed with flying colours and continues to be certified to DIN ISO 9001!

Mr Blättermann was particularly impressed by sound expertise in core processes such as the acclimatization phase, by the staff’s grasp of QM and by the high level of service they deliver daily on the basis of our “10 Golden Values”.

We set out with staff years ago to develop quality assurance methods and processes and to establish a quality management system. In 2021, we finally took the courageous step of applying to TÜV Süd for DIN ISO 9001 qualification and succeeded at the first attempt. Since then we have gone on to develop our performance further; our annual parent questionnaire is particularly valuable in this process.

Our top priority has always been and continues to be making the needs of the children who attend MINIHAUS München the focus of everything – along with the desires and expectations parents have of us, of course. Particular attention is also paid to staff issues, because only satisfied professionals who feel valued and supported are able to concentrate entirely on their work with the children and remain with our company long-term.

We would like to thank all those members of staff who have contributed to our success and to TÜV certification for the third year running now! (ks)

Pilot, football player - or maybe nursery teacher?

Minihaus München invites boys to experience life as a nursery teacher on the occasion of Boys'Day.

When he grows up, Maximilian, aged 11, would actually like to be a pilot, a car salesman or a football player. But he spent this year’s Boys'Day on 27 April at Minihaus München, a private children’s nursery. “My mother and I wondered what I could do on Boys'Day and she came up with the idea that I could ask my old nursery”, the likeable Year 5 pupil explains. Indeed, a few years ago, Maximilian himself was one of the “minis” at the Bognerhof, an old farm in Trudering converted into space for seven crèche groups and two nursery school groups to play and grow up in.

Boys'Day – Jungen-Zukunftstag [day dedicated to boys’ futures] is a national day of careers guidance and life planning for boys. It has been held since 2011 and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. On Boys'Day, boys learn about careers or courses with a proportion of men below 40 per cent, e.g. in healthcare, care work, training, education or social work.

Maximilian is visiting Red Group “where I used to be,” he says. And he has even met one of his teachers from back then. “I recognized Maximilian at once,” Szabina Kiss is delighted to report. She welcomes Boys'Day as an important campaign. “We need men in this profession too. We unfortunately still have far too few male nursery teachers.” You see how important this is for children when male guests visit. “Male students on teaching practice, for example, are always very popular with the children,” says Szabina Kiss, “not just with the boys, but every bit as much with the girls.” It’s no different for Maximilian: “Everyone wants to sit next to him at breakfast,” the nursery teacher says with a laugh.

Maximilian plays with the 25 children in Red Group, does craft activities with them and eats with them all. “I like that I can help and can show younger children things,” he says. Like 5-year-old Celine, whom Maximilian helped make a bird’s nest out of clay.

The nursery manager at the Bognerhof, Leyla Özdemir, and her deputy Azra Smajic are pleased to have male reinforcements in the nursery: “It’s always brilliant for the children to have boys in the nursery - which is why we have participated every time so far,” says Azra Smajic. Leyla Özdemir wishes the boys could stay longer than just the half-day at the nursery: “It’s too short.”

Maximilian obviously thinks so, too. Shortly before the end of his day in the nursery, towards midday, he messages his mother: “It’s so cool here! Can I stay a bit longer?” Of course he was allowed to – perhaps “nursery teacher” will soon be appearing on Maximilian’s list of potential careers!

Minihaus München is participating in Boys'Day for the third time, offering young male pupils the opportunity of experiencing the job of nursery teacher at all nine of its nurseries. (jh)

Excellent employer

Minihaus München has been awarded the kununu “Top Company 2023” seal.

“I’m very comfortable there, the cohesion among colleagues and also with the nursery management is very good.“ “It's like a second family.“ “Pleasant working atmosphere, good relationship with the bosses, good team spirit.”

It is a great compliment for a company if employees write such positive reviews about their employer. It is hardly surprising that there is an atmosphere of joy at Minihaus München, a provider of private child daycare facilities: the large number of positive reviews has made Minihaus one of the most popular employers in the German-speaking region on kununu.

“We have received the ‘Top Company 2023’ award, making us one of the top 5% on the popular employer rating platform”, Rainer Eckerl, Managing Director at Minihaus München, is pleased to report. “Over the past few months we have worked hard to achieve this, repeatedly inviting our staff to submit honest and independent reviews - with success!”, Rainer Eckerl continues.

Staff at the nine child daycare centres particularly appreciate the variety in their tasks. One employee writes: “Few jobs are so varied. Programmes such as ÖkoKids keep providing us with new input, allowing us to implement our ideas.” The working atmosphere and the cohesion among colleagues also get a particularly positive rating: “The team is diverse, nice and very helpful. And we stick together beyond group level.”

In addition to the "open, constructive communication", the behaviour of the superiors is praised, too: “I like the leadership team. They always give you appreciation and sometimes come up with little surprises for everyone in the team. I think that's great.”

“We believe that being awarded the “Top Company” seal is a plus when it comes to recruitment: For potential applicants, the positive reviews of employees can show how attractive Minihaus München is as a workplace!” says Jacqueline Gröger-Eckerl.

According to a survey by the consulting company Employer Telling, kununu’s “Top Company” seal is the best-known employer seal among job seekers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The seal is awarded annually so that users can use the score to see how employees currently rate their company. In addition, the criteria for awarding the “Top Company” seal have been redefined so that companies must meet higher and additional requirements. For example, the company must achieve a kununu overall score of at least 3.8 out of a possible 5.0. Minihaus München currently has an overall score of 4.0. (jh)

“Language is the key to the world and we give our children that key”
Minihaus München once again receives the “Book Nursery” quality seal

For the second time in a row, Minihaus München in Menzinger Strasse, as one of just four nurseries in Munich, has won the coveted “Book Nursery” quality seal [Gütesiegel Buchkita]. The Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels [organization promoting and supporting the German book trade] and the Deutscher Bibliotheksverband e.V. [German Library Association] award this seal to those nurseries in Germany which are especially active in promoting early-years reading and in developing children’s reading and speaking skills. The presentation was made to the management team of Minihaus Menzinger Strasse at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Nursery manager Bianca von Lewinski is thrilled: “I’m so incredibly proud of my team!”, she says. “Staff put so much heart and soul into their daily routine of experiencing books that it is just fantastic for this commitment to be recognized with a second Book Nursery quality seal now.” Deputy Head of Education Silvia Wiek is also delighted with the award: “We have introduced great new approaches in the last two years, so the award is further confirmation of the variety Minihaus nurseries provide in delivering language education for their children.”

Examples of these Minihaus approaches include excursions on relevant themes, book exhibitions, acting out stories from books using little models (the “Stories in a Shoebox” project) and creating new stories using picture cards. “This is how we bring books to life”, explains Bianca von Lewinski.
 
At Minihaus they are also proud of their library which now runs to some 500 books. This enables the children to browse at leisure, but recently specialist literature for the staff which provides ideas for their work, has also been added. As the nursery is also participating in the “Startchance kita.digital” project, digital media education is covered too. This project involves teachers at Minihaus undergoing nine months’ in-service training to enable them to introduce digital education in the nurseries. Silvia Wick is convinced that “children need these opportunities to come into contact with digital media, but of course with strict rules and under professional supervision.”

Feedback from parents is positive throughout. “They know how important language education is, particularly in the pre-school years”, Silvia Wick reports.
Of 260 participating nurseries throughout Germany, 108 were awarded the “Book Nursery” quality seal this year, with Minihaus München in Menzinger Strasse one of four nurseries in Munich and 15 in the whole of Bavaria to win it. The next quality seal will be awarded in three years and we have no doubt that Minihaus in Menzinger Strasse will participate again. (jh)

Minihaus opens new nursery in Freiham
Childcare places for some 110 children

Minihaus München, a private operator of nurseries, has opened its eighth facility in Freiham. This location has a very special feature: “It makes us a player in the newly-created district of Freiham – one of the largest urban construction projects in Europe”, explains Günther Hanel, Head of Education at Minihaus München. “It means that we too are in construction, building childcare here.”

Hanel says that another new feature for Minihaus München is the funding model in which the city of Munich owns the building, but provides it rent-free and commissions Minihaus to run the childcare operation. However, the city of Munich determines the statutes and the schedule of fees.

Minihaus Freiham has a total of three nursery school groups and three crèche groups. “This means childcare places for some 110 children”, Martina Högl, who heads up the new facility, is delighted to report.

“We are starting out by acclimatizing one group each in the nursery school and the crèche”, explains the teacher. The other groups will be moving into the spacious, light-filled rooms in November 2022 and then in Spring 2023. The children are bound to find the large sports hall integrated in the building a highlight, which explains why Minihaus Freiham will focus on “movement”. What is more, a large connecting room between the crèche and nursery school areas will enable both groups to collaborate better. Martina Högl is sure that it will be a very positive experience for both groups of children to have close links with the other (age) group. “It will also make it easier for children in the crèche to transfer to nursery school.”

These pipes are huge

Gone are the days of job adverts and portfolios - even smaller craftsmen's workshops turn to inventive campaigns on Tiktok and Instagram when looking for new staff. This affects the company culture, too.

Minihaus München certified to DIN ISO 9001

Last year, TÜV Süd certified Minihaus München to DIN ISO 9001. This is evidence of an “outstanding” quality management (QM) system at Minihaus, something only a few nurseries in Bavaria can boast. For Quality Management Officer Andreas Hellmann the TÜV certification is “just the icing on the cake for our quality management work - at Minihaus, we have been working with QM for years”. This involves dealing with questions like: What can our staff do even better? Which processes can be optimized? Hellmann is pleased that “the certificate now shows to outsiders that, at Minihaus, we continuously develop the quality of our services”.

One of the things we focused on when preparing for QM certification were the core educational processes. We collaborated with Minihaus employees to draft uniform standards and specify quality objectives. One example of those core educational processes is acclimatization: we have described every process step, from initial contact with parents to the meeting with them at the end. This provides our employees with structured guidelines for their work and at the same time improves their communication with parents. Integrating employees' own experiences is of key importance here; they know every detail of the processes and can indicate ways in which their routines can be simplified or improved.

Once a year internal audits take place in all Minihaus nurseries. Staff go into the individual Minihaus nurseries as auditors and check whether work and conduct there are in line with process descriptions and specifications, for example. Hellmann stresses that the internal audits are primarily about listening, not about checking up. “The aim of the internal audits is to listen to the employees telling about their nurseries and to find out together where there is potential for improvement.”

The results of the internal audits are summarized in a report from which a schedule of measures is derived. “In this way we ensure that we are subject to a process of continuous improvement”, Andreas Hellmann explains.

IFollowing the internal audits, examiners from the TÜV organization carry out the external audit. Just like the internal auditors, they audit processes and check that specifications are met, but make suggestions for improvement as well.

Andreas Hellmann is convinced that the way to make quality management work is to involve staff right from the outset - in workshops, for example. “If you then describe the processes, such as those of acclimatization or parent/teacher discussions, staff can incorporate their own experiences – after all, they are very close to the subject and are responsible for implementing any specifications in the routine. This is much more meaningful than the board sitting in its boardroom to develop the process”, Hellmann emphasizes. “Quality management needs to be lived from the ground up in order to work.”

A good example is Kinderhaus München. “Quality management has been part and parcel of life there for over 20 years, such that staff now live and breathe QM”, the Quality Management Officer reports. “This is what we want to get to with Minihaus, too, and we are on the right track!” (jh)

Eltern müssen ihre Kinder für den Kita-Besuch nun drei Mal pro Woche testen. Die neue Regelung lief in München weitgehend reibungslos an, nur wenige hatten nicht daran gedacht.

Ohne größere Probleme ist am Montag nach den Ferien die Testpflicht in den Münchner Kitas angelaufen. "Ich war überrascht, dass es so komplikationslos lief", sagt Günther Hanel, fachlicher Leiter der privaten Kita Minihaus München, die sieben Einrichtungen in München betreibt. Vonseiten der Stadt hieß es, die Einführung der Testpflicht sei "relativ reibungslos" verlaufen und werde sich in den kommenden Tagen und Wochen weiter einspielen. Wie viele Eltern einen negativen Testnachweis vorlegen konnten und wie viele nicht, hatten beide Kita-Träger nicht erfasst.

"Die Eltern arbeiten in der Regel gut mit, zeigen Verständnis und akzeptieren die Erforderlichkeit der Maßnahme zum zusätzlichen Schutz aller", teilte ein Sprecher des Referats für Bildung und Sport (RBS) für die rund 450 städtischen Kitas mit. Die Stadt hatte die Eltern vorab zwei Mal über Newsletter und über Aushänge über die Testnachweispflicht informiert. Wenige Eltern hätten am Montag in der Kita an die Testpflicht erinnert werden müssen, heißt es aus dem RBS. Sie konnten in der Apotheke einen Test nachholen. "Nur vereinzelt wollten Eltern Testnachweise aus dem Ausland in fremder Sprache vorlegen, die nicht akzeptiert werden konnten", teilte ein Sprecher des RBS mit.

Eltern erhalten Gutscheine für kostenlose Tests

Anfang Dezember hatte der Ministerrat entschieden, dass Eltern in Bayern vom 10. Januar an ihre Kinder, die älter als ein Jahr sind, drei Mal die Woche testen müssen, wenn diese in der Kita betreut werden sollen. Die Kitas teilen Berechtigungsscheine aus, mit denen Eltern sich in der Apotheke auf Kosten des Freistaats Selbsttests abholen können.

Immer montags, mittwochs und freitags sollen Eltern ihre Kinder zu Hause testen und in der Einrichtung das negative Testergebnis nachweisen. Dazu können sie entweder die Testkassette vorzeigen oder in einem Formular mit ihrer Unterschrift bestätigen, dass ein negatives Testergebnis bei ihrem Kind vorliegt. Fehlt ein Kind an einem dieser Tage, muss es an dem Tag, an dem es die Kita wieder besucht, getestet werden. Eltern können ihre Kinder auch in Apotheken oder Testzentren testen lassen und den Nachweis in die Kita mitbringen. Kinder, die genesen oder vollständig geimpft sind, müssen nicht getestet werden - anders als in der Schule, in der sich seit dieser Woche auch geimpfte und genesene Schülerinnen und Schüler testen müssen.

Nur vereinzelt musste ein Selbsttest nachgeholt werden

Ein ähnliches Bild wie bei den städtischen Kitas zeigte sich am Montag bei dem privaten Kita-Träger Minihaus München. Der weit überwiegende Teil der Eltern habe morgens beim Abgeben des Kindes eine Testkassette mit einem negativen Testergebnis vorzeigen können, sagt der fachliche Leiter Günther Hanel. Nur vereinzelt hätten Eltern das vergessen und mussten in der Einrichtung oder zu Hause einen Selbsttest nachholen, um ihr Kind in die Kita bringen zu dürfen. Andere Familien hätten sich auch schon am Wochenende einmal testen lassen. Das Kontrollieren der Tests und die Entsorgung der Testkassetten sei zwar ein Mehraufwand für die Kita-Mitarbeiterinnen, aber es sei machbar.

"Die Eltern haben viel Verständnis, Verantwortungsbewusstsein und eine sehr hohe Mitwirkungsbereitschaft gezeigt", sagt Hanel. "Das erhöht das Sicherheitsgefühl, was sehr wichtig ist." Manche Eltern hätten in den Kitas allerdings berichtet, dass das Testen zu Hause morgens zu stressigen Situationen führte. Die Einrichtungen hätten die Eltern vor Weihnachten über die kommende Testpflicht informiert, sagt Hanel und die Berechtigungsscheine für Selbsttests verschickt. Ein durchaus hoher Aufwand: "Wir wollten es den Eltern so leicht wie möglich machen", sagt Hanel. Und dass er es für praktikabler hielte, wenn die Kitas anstelle der Apotheken die Selbsttests ausgeben dürften.

Derzeit sind Gruppen in 20 Münchner Kitas aufgrund von Covid-19-Erkrankungen geschlossen. Insgesamt gibt es rund 1450 Kitas in München.

Children at Minihaus München, the International Kids Campus (IKC) bilingual nursery and the International Bilingual School Munich (ibsm) pack presents for the Münchner Tafel charity.

The children at Minihaus München, the International Kids Campus (IKC) bilingual nursery and the International Bilingual School Munich (ibsm) were very busy – together with their parents, teachers and nursery teachers they packed more than 400 parcels in the last few days, to bring joy to children in need in Munich.

Minihaus München has been running its “Weihnachten für Kinder der Münchner Tafel“ [Christmas for Children at the Münchner Tafel] initiative since 2015. Local commitment is important for project manager Andreas Hellmann. “Don’t forget to look right outside your own front door – there are children in need in Munich, too.” This resulted in the idea of supporting the Münchner Tafel which was delighted with the initiative right from the start.

Since then, parents, children and nursery teachers have been packing parcels for children whose parents are supported by the Münchner Tafel. In addition to non-perishable food and daily necessities, the cardboard boxes also include little presents for the children in the families.

“In the current situation it is even more important to care for these people and to help them”, Andreas Hellmann points out. “Those in need include several thousand children, who do not only lack food but many other things as well, such as school stationary, toys and books. Once again we want to use our project to bring Christmas joy to some of these children.”

Due to the Covid pandemic, it was unfortunately not possible to deliver the parcels together with the Minihaus children. Instead, Tafel staff collected the presents, wrapped for Christmas, from the Minihaus locations to distribute them to families in need.

Münchner Tafel e.V. is a registered charity supporting those in need. Food is distributed to people living in poverty via 27 distribution sites and 107 welfare centres in the Munich city area. About 700 volunteers work at the Münchner Tafel. Each week 125 000 kilograms of food are distributed to approximately 22 000 people in need.

MINIHAUS MÜNCHEN uses Youtube, Insta and its own Corporate Influencers for Employer Branding; TikTok is being considered, too. The package also includes a company-owned training facility and an inhouse Trainee Programme with leadership training. This makes the nursery successful in attracting staff in spite of skills shortages und strengthens employee engagement. We wanted to know what exactly happens here and talked to Mrs Gröger-Eckerl, Daniela Dolpand Karsten Schmid.

Read full article [in German]

The seven Minihaus München nurseries have received the EcoKids award for a third time. The aim of the “ÖkoKids – KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT” [EcoKids Nursery for Sustainability] project of the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. [Bavarian Regional Association for the Protection of Birds] is to raise the environmental awareness of even the youngest children in the crèche and nursery school.

This year’s Ecokids projects in the Minihaus nurseries focused specifically on plastic waste: why is there so much plastic waste? What can I do myself to avoid waste? “The topic is so current at the moment, and we want to let the children know that even they can contribute to protecting the environment,” explains project manager Silvia Wick. This was not just about how to recycle plastic waste, but above all also about how to use resources carefully and not create waste in the first place.

The projects taught the children that a lot of everyday plastic items have environmentally-friendly alternatives: for example, a small yogurt in a plastic container can be replaced with a larger one in a recyclable jar or cling-film for the morning’s snack with a reusable snack box.

One nursery group started a small hands-on project. The children made a huge collage of the oceans and put it up on the wall, with a discussion on the problem of plastic waste in the world’s oceans being held with the children beforehand. For two days, children collected the plastic waste they had in their snack boxes – yogurt pots or muesli bar packaging, for example – and stuck it to the collage. The children didn’t think that looked very nice, so they made a plan: whenever we manage a day when no child in the group has any plastic packaging with them, we can take one piece of waste “out of the sea”. The group then worked very enthusiastically over the next four weeks to “fish” the plastic waste back out of their ocean collage. To do this, the children had to check very carefully what parents were putting in their snack boxes.

“The children then sit at the breakfast table at home and educate their parents,” Silvia Wick is proud to report. And what do parents think of that? “They are delighted that the children have such great awareness,” says the project manager with pleasure. Quite apart from that, the project strengthened the feeling of community in the groups: “Together we can do it!”

Just like last year, Covid once again made it impossible to present the award at a live ceremony, so all the nurseries received their award in an online event, getting their certificates and ceramic plaques, which now clearly identify every nursery as an EcoKids 2021 facility, through the post beforehand.

Protecting the environment and environmental education have now become permanent fixtures in the Minihaus routine. “The children are so enthusiastic about it,” Silvia Wick is delighted to report. “And of course, that also motivates us to keep going” - so the seven Minihaus nurseries have signed up for the EcoKids project again in 2022.

published 13 December 2021 (jh).

"The project came to life with the nesting box for starlings"

The seven Minihaus München nurseries have been awarded the ÖkoKids certificate for a second time. The aim of the "ÖkoKids – KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT" [EcoKids Nursery for Sustainability] project of the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V.; [Bavarian Regional Association for the Protection of Birds] is to raise the environmental awareness of even the youngest children in the crèche and nursery. Environmental education has been part of the everyday routine at Minihaus nurseries for a long time. The seven Minihaus nurseries were awarded the Ökokids certificate for the first time in 2019 and this success was continued in 2020: "Every Minihaus München nursery was awarded two ravens", project supervisor Silvia Wick is delighted to report. The small black cartoon ravens are the Ökokids symbol.

Minihaus München nurseries launched lots of projects around domestic birds last year. Under the slogan "Hey, listen, who’s that singing?", they made clay bird feeders, took a close look at birds’ nests, watched birds in the garden, made birds out of a huge variety of materials and sang songs with the children all about the world of birds.

"The highlight for us was a small construction project", says project supervisor Silvia Wick. "Together with our nursery teachers, the children built a nesting box for starlings." Minihaus also put the instructions on the home page of its website so that interested families could copy the nesting box at home. After it was complete, the nesting box for starlings was hung up in the garden of the Pippinger Strasse Minihaus and, to the great delight of all the children, a pair of starlings actually started nesting in it shortly afterwards, raising a brood of chicks.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic meant that there was no official prize-giving ceremony, so the Minihaus nurseries received their certificates in the post. To celebrate winning the award regardless, Minihaus quickly organized a bird festival at every nursery in which birds were made out of sugar paper and little bird boxes out of toilet rolls, clay bowls were filled with bird food and birdsong was investigated in Minihaus gardens. The children also watched a film and had to guess which birds were singing.

With the support of their teachers, the children also built another nesting box for starlings out of wood, which will now be hung in the garden of the Bognerhof Minihaus. "The children enjoyed this topic so much and we had so many ideas that we have decided to have another project week on birds", project supervisor Silvia Wick is delighted to report.

In addition to the certificate and the ceramic plaque, which now clearly identifies every nursery as an ÖkoKids facility, the Minihaus nurseries were also presented with the small gift of a brochure about domestic birds from the Landesbund für Vogelschutz. Among other things, this tells children what robins eat, the length of a coal tit’s beak and the wing span of a heron.

The topic of environmental protection and environmental education has become a fixed item in the Minihaus routine, which is why the seven Minihaus nurseries have now registered for the “ÖkoKids – KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT” project again and hope that they can look forward to winning another award next winter. And perhaps then there will be a proper prize-giving ceremony again, with all the prize-winners in attendance.

published 19 March 2021 (jh).

Minihaus München startet neues ÖkoKids-Projekt über die heimische Vogelwelt
Ein Insektenhotel bauen, Müll sammeln und der Verwertung zuführen oder einen Kompost
anlegen - Umwelterziehung schon für die Kleinsten in Krippe und Kindergarten, das ist das
Ziel des Projekts „ÖkoKids – KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT“ des Landesbunds
für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V.

Die sieben Minihäuser in München sind bereits im letzten Jahr mit dem ÖkoKids-Siegel
ausgezeichnet worden. Sie hatten jeweils ein eigenes ÖkoKids-Projekt im Kindergarten
umgesetzt: Mal war es ein Kräutergarten, mal ein Bienenprojekt oder der Lebensraum von
„Luisa Schneck und ihren Gartenfreunden“. Gemeinsam war allen Projekten, dass sie die
Kinder nachhaltig für die Themen Natur- und Umweltschutz begeistert haben. Diese
Begeisterung sollte auch heuer wieder aufgegriffen und neu entfacht werden.

Unter dem Motto „Lausch doch mal, wer singt denn da?“ ging es in diesem Jahr in den
Minihäusern um die heimische Vogelwelt. Die Idee für das Thema entstand mitten in der
Corona-Zeit, berichtet Projektleiterin Silvia Wick. In den Minihäusern wurde, wie in allen
Kitas, nur eine Notbetreuung angeboten. Entsprechend wenig Kinder waren im Haus und
durch den Lockdown und den dadurch reduzierten Verkehr war es insgesamt ruhiger in der
Stadt. Die Kinder haben mit dem pädagogischen Team eine Stille-Übung gemacht und
sollten bewusst die Geräusche in ihrer Umgebung wahrnehmen. „Die Kinder waren
begeistert von den Vogelstimmen, die plötzlich gut zu hören waren“, erzählt Silvia Wick. So
wurde die Projektidee geboren.

„Wir haben angefangen zu recherchieren, welche Vögel im Garten zu hören sind“, berichtet
Silvia Wick weiter. Neben Amsel, Drossel, Fink und Star haben sich die Kinder auch mit der
Turteltaube, Vogel des Jahres 2020, und mit dem Star, Vogel des Jahres 2019, beschäftigt:
Wo leben die Vögel, was fressen sie, wie sehen ihre Nester aus? Die Kinder konnten sogar
ein Nest, das sie im Garten gefunden hatten, untersuchen und feststellen, dass es nicht nur
aus Zweigen bestand, sondern auch Blätter und Kräuter verbaut waren.

Das Highlight war ein kleines „Bauprojekt“: Zusammen mit den Pädagoginnen haben die
Kinder einen Nistkasten für Stare gebaut. Damit auch die Kinder, die nicht in der
Notbetreuung waren, an dem Projekt teilhaben konnten, hat das Minihaus den Bauplan für

den Nistkasten auf die Homepage gestellt, um interessierten Familien das Nachbauen des
Nistkastens daheim zu ermöglichen. „Außerdem haben wir das ÖkoKids-Thema regelmäßig
in unsere Morgenkreis-Livestreams eingebunden, die wir an zwei bis drei Tagen pro Woche
angeboten haben“, erklärt Silvia Wick.

Der Nistkasten wurde nach seiner Fertigstellung im Garten des Minihauses in der Pippinger
Straße aufgehängt, und zur großen Freude aller Kinder zog tatsächlich nach kurzer Zeit ein
Staren-Pärchen ein und bekam dort Nachwuchs.
In der nächsten Zeit sind noch weitere Umweltprojekte in den Minihäusern geplant. Das
Minihaus in der Menzinger Straße zum Beispiel plant, Müll im Wald zu sammeln und daraus
ein Müllmonster zu bauen, das später als Mahnmal im Vorgarten des Minihauses stehen
soll.

Im Dezember dürfen sich dann alle Minihäuser auf eine erneute Zertifizierung als ÖkoKids-
Minihaus München freuen: Die Information, dass alle sieben Minihäuser wieder
ausgezeichnet werden, kam vor einigen Tagen per Post. (jh)

At Minihaus even the youngest children are in the best of hands – from 9 weeks to 6 years old

Eva from Munich knew she wanted to return to work fairly soon after the birth of her son Jonas.

Therefore she started looking for a crèche place as early as week 12 of her pregnancy. The young mum never had any doubts about her decision until people around her kept making critical remarks like „Taking a child less than a year old to the crèche – you just don’t do that“. But Eva would not be deterred and was glad that she had found a crèche place at Minihaus Menzinger Straße for Jonas, just over 5 months old at the time.

She is still convinced that „this was exactly what he needed“. „Acclimatization went really well“, Eva remembers. „My child was happy right from the start, and the other children were really sweet looking after Jonas.“ Eve has no regrets whatsoever about starting crèche early. „We had a great start – perhaps for the very reason that my child was so young“, she thinks.

Minihaus has accumulated more than 10 years’ experience with small children. When the family business started a crèche in 2010, a little boy merely 9 weeks old was one of the first children to be cared for at Minihaus München. Knowhow has grown steadily since then. „We have become complete experts in looking after very young children“, Silvia Wick, one of the heads of education at Minihaus München, underlines.

The most important part is the personalized welcome and care for the infant and its family. „We look at the developmental stage the infant is at, establish what the child needs in terms of bonding, closeness and educational context“, Wick explains the approach used in caring for very young Minihaus guests.

Minihaus places particular importance on a finely-tuned acclimatization based on the needs of both the child and its parents. „We don’t just acclimatize the child, but the parents as well“, Silvia Wick knows. Therefore acclimatization may well take 4 or 5 weeks in some cases – or just a few days, as it did with Jonas and his mother Eva.

Top priority during acclimatization is to build up trust. After all, parents hand over to strangers „what is dearest to them“, Wick knows. To make the building up of trust and the acclimatization succeed, Minihaus educators are supported by the heads of education. In additional to providing professional advice and holding regular reflection conversions, the heads of education are also present in person when an infant is welcomed, and help it arrive. „We have the time to allow parents and children to arrive“, Silvia Wick emphasizes.

„With our years and years of experience we are complete experts; we know that the acclimatization will be 100% successful and that we have the parents’ full confidence and satisfaction“, Silvia Wick says with conviction.

In addition to appreciating the loving care, Eva also values the positive impact the crèche has on her son’s development. „Jonas learnt to eat independently very early“, she remembers. When other mums complained about “spinach accidents” on the wall, Eva just smiled to herself. „And the children pick up to so much else and copy lots of things the other, older kids do, it’s really great!“ (jh)

The hygiene policy has been written, education staff are on the starting blocks and the children are really looking forward to it – from 1 July, Minihaus nurseries are running restricted regular sessions again after some 15 weeks’ emergency childcare arrangements. “Restricted”, because in contrast to the semi-open operation which characterizes the Minihaus model in normal circumstances, the children now have to remain in their groups and are not allowed to go and play with next-door groups. “This allows us to keep better track of chains of contact” explains Silvia Wick, one of the heads of education at Minihaus München. “We are absolutely delighted that we are now able to welcome all children back to our Minihaus nurseries”, says Wick.

Pre-schoolers, in particular, are looking forward to the final push in kindergarten, as they are off to “big school” in just a few weeks. To try and make the time during lockdown pass more quickly, Minihaus teachers have been staying in touch with parents and children by phone and e-mail and have prepared little workshops, for example. Minihaus München also had some ideas for staying in touch with younger Minihaus children. From as early as 1 April, there was a livestream two to three days a week to which all children and their parents were invited. “This enabled us to celebrate our morning circles together with the children at home, joining in with singing songs, doing yoga or making things” explains Silvia Wick. Parents were grateful for the service. “A lot of parents wrote to thank us for a ‘bit of normality’”, she reports.

Starting back at the Minihaus nurseries together after the coronavirus lockdown will be another step towards normality – though of course, there will be certain rules governing hygiene and behaviour. When parents enter Minihaus facilities, for example, they will have to wear a face covering and maintain social distance. Education staff will be supporting parents in order to ensure that this happens, especially at drop-off and pick-up times, organizing access to the Minihaus nursery. Once the children have arrived at the nursery, staff will take them straight to wash their hands. There will also be sanitizer stations on every floor of Minihaus nurseries.

However, face coverings and distancing will not be possible in the daily round of teaching the children. “After all, proximity to the children is our work,” explains Silvia Wick. The teacher is also convinced that it is impossible to control children’s proximity to one another: “We must let the children get back to their friends.” This will be yet another piece of normality for the children – and for their parents too. (jh)

„Bücher werden lebendig bei uns“
Das Minihaus in der Menzinger Straße hat das Gütesiegel Buchkindergarten erhalten. Mit dem
Siegel zeichnen der Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels und der Deutsche
Bibliotheksverband e.V. Kindergärten aus, die im Bereich der frühkindlichen Leseförderung und
der Lese- und Sprachentwicklung von Kindern besonders aktiv sind. Die Schirmherrschaft hat
der bekannte Kinderbuchautor Paul Maar, Erfinder des Sams, übernommen.

„Uns ist es ganz wichtig, dass Bücher sichtbar sind in der Kita“, erklärt Jutta Bummel,
Buchhändlerin und Mitglied in der Gütesiegel-Jury. „Das heißt, dass es z.B. eine kleine Bücherei
in der Kita gibt, dass es in den einzelnen Gruppenräumen Bücher gibt und diese auch variieren“,
fasst Bummel einige der Auswahlkriterien für das Gütesiegel zusammen.

Im Minihaus in der Menzinger Straße spielen Bücher im Kindergartenalltag eine zentrale Rolle.
So gibt es eine eigene Bibliothek mit mehr als 300 Büchern, die die Kinder jederzeit anschauen
und auch mit nach Hause nehmen dürfen. „Damit sich die Kinder in der Bibliothek orientieren
können, sind die Regale mit Bildern zu den verschiedenen Themen wie Tiere oder Natur
markiert“, erklärt Bianca von Lewinski, Leiterin des Minihauses in der Menzinger Straße.
Besonders beliebt ist bei den Kindern auch das Projekt Geschichten im Schuhkarton: Hier
werden Bilder aus einem Kinderbuch, z. B. „Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt“, kopiert und auf
kleine Spieße gesteckt. Mit diesen ‚Figuren‘ spielt dann eine Erzieherin im Schuhkarton die
Geschichte, während eine zweite Betreuerin das Buch vorliest.

„Uns ist es wichtig, dass wir den Kindern nicht nur vorlesen, sondern aus den Geschichten und
Themen etwas entwickeln“, betont von Lewinski. So unternimmt das Minihaus u.a. thematisch
passende Ausflüge: „Als die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt gelesen wurde, haben wir mit den Kindern
eine Schmetterlingsausstellung besucht und als der Grüffelo Thema war, haben wir einen
Waldausflug gemacht und das Grüffelokind gesucht. So werden Bücher lebendig bei uns“,
erzählt die Leiterin.

Für die Vorschulkinder gibt es außerdem das Projekt Lilo Lausch, das auf spielerische Weise die
Sprachbildung durch mehrsprachige Geschichten, Verse und Reime fördert. Darüber hinaus
runden Lesungen von Kinderbuchautoren, Kindertheater, regelmäßige Buchausstellungen im
Kindergarten und Besuche der Stadtbibliothek das breite Angebot ab.

Die vielfältigen Aktivitäten rund um Bücher vermitteln Spaß an Geschichten, Bildern und
Sprache und wecken schon bei den Kleinen die Begeisterung für‘s Lesen. Diese Kompetenzen
sind grundlegende Vorläuferfähigkeiten für das erfolgreiche Lesen- und Schreibenlernen der

Damit erfüllt das Minihaus alle Voraussetzungen für das Buchkindergarten-Siegel. Zu den
Kriterien gehört nicht nur regelmäßiges Vorlesen und vielseitiger Umgang mit Büchern und
Geschichten, sondern u. a. auch eine aktive Sprachvermittlung und -förderung, Elternarbeit zum
Thema Vorlesen, Fortbildung der Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter in den Bereichen Literacy,
Sprach- und Literaturvermittlung und die Zusammenarbeit mit einer Buchhandlung oder
Bibliothek.

Von den 820 Einrichtungen, die sich für das Gütesiegel beworben haben, wurden insgesamt 208
Kindergärten in ganz Deutschland für ihren besonderen Einsatz, Kinder früh für Geschichten und
Sprache zu begeistern, ausgezeichnet. Die Preisverleihung fand im Rahmen der Frankfurter
Buchmesse mit mehr als 300 Gästen statt. Mit dem Gütesiegel kann das Minihaus nun auch
nach außen zeigen, welchen hohen Stellenwert die Themen Lesen, Sprache und Medien in der
pädagogischen Arbeit der Einrichtung haben. (jh)

Kita-Kinder aus dem Minihaus München packen Geschenkepäckchen für die
Münchner Tafel
Die Kinder im Minihaus München waren fleißig – ganze 355 Päckchen haben sie gemeinsam mit
ihren Eltern und den Erzieherinnen in den letzten Tagen gepackt, um bedürftigen Kindern in
München eine Freude zu machen.

Das Projekt „Weihnachten für Kinder der Münchner Tafel“ gibt es seit 2015 im Minihaus
München. Projektleiter Andreas Hellmann ist es wichtig, sich lokal zu engagieren. „Man sollte vor
der eigenen Haustür auch mal schauen, denn in München gibt es auch Armut.“ So kam die Idee
zustande, die Münchner Tafel zu unterstützen. Dort war man sofort begeistert von dem Projekt.
Seither packen Eltern, Kinder und Erzieherinnen Päckchen für Kinder, deren Eltern von der
Münchner Tafel unterstützt werden.

In die Kartons kommen nicht nur haltbare Lebensmittel und
Dinge des täglichen Bedarfs, sondern auch kleine Geschenke für die Kinder der Familien.
Alle Kinder aus allen sieben Minihäusern in München waren in diesem Jahr mit Eifer dabei. „Ich
habe Schokolade, einen Kritzelblock und ein Buch eingepackt“, erzählt der 5-jährige Damian
stolz. Die gleichaltrige Kathi hat eine Zahnbürste, ein Elsa-Stempelkissen und Shampoo für die
Haare eingepackt. „Und dann hab ich noch Sterne auf den Karton geklebt.“

Stellvertretend für alle fleißigen Päckchen-Packer haben zehn Vorschulkinder aus dem Minihaus
in der Tölzerstraße die Päckchen nun an die Münchner Tafel überreicht. Pressesprecher Steffen
Horak hat sich über das Engagement der Kinder gefreut: „Das habt ihr ganz toll gemacht!“
Ob sie denn wüssten, was die Tafel macht, wollte Horak von den Kindern wissen. „Sie verteilt
Essen an arme Menschen“, war die Antwort der Vorschulkinder.

Etwa 20.000 Bedürftige werden
inzwischen von der Tafel wöchentlich versorgt, darunter auch viele Kinder. „Wir retten jede
Woche 125 Tonnen Lebensmittel“, erklärt Horak den Kindern weiter. „So viel wie etwa 25
Elefanten wiegen.“ Vieles davon sind Spenden aus der Lebensmittelindustrie, z.B. aus
Überproduktionen oder aufgrund falscher Etiketten auf der Ware. „Das Essen in der Verpackung
ist ja völlig in Ordnung, aber es darf nicht verkauft werden. Wir verteilen die Sachen an die
Bedürftigen und retten dadurch die Lebensmittel vor der Müllkippe.“

Um einen Eindruck von den großen Mengen zu bekommen, durften die Kinder einen Blick in das
Lager der Tafel werfen, wo nicht nur unzählige Kisten mit Obst und Gemüse auf ihre Verteilung
warten, sondern auch Schokoladen-Nikoläuse und Weihnachts-Gebäck.

Vor ihrem Besuch bei der Münchner Tafel haben die Pädagoginnen in den Minihäusern mit den
Kindern darüber gesprochen, dass es Menschen gibt, die sich nicht so viel leisten können und
„dass es auch Familien gibt, wo die Kinder nichts zu Weihnachten geschenkt bekommen“,
erzählt Kinderpflegerin Claudia Kotzbauer. Sie findet es wichtig, bedürftigen Menschen zu helfen
und den Kindern zu vermitteln, dass Schenken Freude macht.

„Die Bereitschaft der Eltern und Kinder ist da“, freut sich Projektleiter Hellmann. So konnte die
Anzahl der Päckchen in den vergangenen Jahren stetig gesteigert werden. Und auch im
kommenden Jahr werden die Minihaus-Kinder sicherlich wieder fleißig packen.

Die Münchner Tafel e.V. ist ein eingetragener Verein, der soziale Zwecke verfolgt. An 27 Ausgabestellen und
107 sozialen Einrichtungen im Münchner Stadtgebiet werden Lebensmittel an Menschen in Armut verteilt.
Rund 700 Ehrenamtliche sind bei der Münchner Tafel aktiv. Pro Woche werden 125.000 Kilogramm
Lebensmittel an rund 20.000 bedürftige Menschen ausgegeben. (jh)

The seven Minihaus München nurseries haben participated in the "ÖkoKids - KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT" [EcoKids Nursery for Sustainability] project and have now been awarded the "ÖkoKids 2019" certificate during a ceremony in Munich.

Karl Friedrich Barthmann, Head of the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, presented the official certificates to Minihaus nursery managers, Project Manager Silvia Wick and Deputy Managing Director of Minihaus München, Jacqueline Gröger-Eckerl. In order to demonstrate their EcoKids commitment to the outside world, too, each nursery was given a ceramic sign with “ÖkoKids” on it, made in collaboration with an inclusivity workshop. Each nursery also received a voucher for a small-leaved lime tree, so there will be one to plant in each Minihaus München garden.

It was a particularly exciting day for Minihaus München children: they had been invited to perform two songs on stage as part of the celebrations. “We wrote an ÖkoKids song and practised it with the children especially for the occasion”, Silvia Wick, Ecokids Project Manager at Minihaus München, says proudly. The children received a bee soft toy and a little book to thank them for their performance.

Each of the seven Minihaus nurseries receiving an award implemented its own ÖkoKids project at nursery: one made a herb garden, one did a project about bees, another about “Louise the snail and her garden friends”. What all the projects have in common is that they have filled the children with permanent enthusiasm for the subjects of nature and environmental protection which they have passed on to their families. “The projects raise the awareness of parents, as well as their children” says Silvia Wick. They change the routine at Minihaus nurseries, too. As an example, the Minihaus nurseries have encouraged their suppliers to use less packaging, reducing waste on a day-to-day basis.

“Minihaus München will be sticking with this”, says Silvia Wick, “and beyond these specific projects, we will develop ideas for other things Minihaus can do to protect the environment.” As a result, even our youngest children learn to accept responsibility for the environment through play, so for Silvia Wick, it is a given that Minihaus nurseries will participate in the ÖkoKids project again in 2020.

ÖkoKids KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT” is a project launched in 2011 by the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. [Bavarian Regional Association for the Protection of Birds] with the support of the Bayrisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz [Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection]. The project aims to build up sustainable development skills in the early years sphere. (jh)

Das Minihaus München, Träger von insgesamt sieben Kindertagesstätten in der Landeshauptstadt,
feiert heuer seinen 10. Geburtstag. Anlässlich dieses Jubiläums hat die Inhaber-Familie Eckerl ihre
Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter am vergangenen Wochenende zu einer Feier ins Botanikum
eingeladen.

Nach einem Sektempfang hat Geschäftsführer Rainer Eckerl die rund 180 Gäste begrüßt und sich
bei allen Beschäftigten des Minihauses München bedankt: „Das Unternehmen wäre nichts ohne die
Mitarbeiter, die täglich mit viel Engagement die Kinder betreuen.“

In einer kleinen Talkrunde haben Rainer Eckerl und seine Stellvertreterin und Ehefrau Jacqueline
Gröger-Eckerl über die Anfänge des Minihauses berichtet. Anschließend wurden die beiden
gemeinsamen Söhne Konstantin und Louis Eckerl vorgestellt. „Ich freue mich sehr darüber und bin
sehr stolz, dass die beiden in das Familienunternehmen einsteigen und es in ein paar Jahren
übernehmen werden“, sagte Eckerl. Schließlich wurden unter großem Jubel und Beifall die
Angestellten geehrt, die seit sieben bis 10 Jahren im Minihaus tätig sind.

Begonnen hat die Geschichte des Minihauses München eher unspektakulär in einer nachmittäglichen
Sitzung, die Geschäftsführer Rainer Eckerl mit Mitarbeitern vor gut 10 Jahren abgehalten hatte.
Dass nicht nur in München, sondern in ganz Deutschland Krippenplätze benötigt wurden, war
allgemeiner politischer Konsens in den Jahren 2006/2007. Erfahrung in der Arbeit mit Kindern hatte
Eckerl zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits seit rund 30 Jahren durch das Kinderhaus München, Träger der
Kinder- und Jugendhilfe, sowie durch mehrere heilpädagogisch-therapeutische Kindertagesstätten
und den Arbeitskreis Legasthenie Bayern e.V. So lag der Gedanke nahe: „Wenn man mit
Schulkindern arbeiten kann, kann man‘s mit kleineren Kindern sicher auch. Das war die
Startzündung“, erinnert sich Eckerl. So wurde die erste Kinderkrippe unter dem Namen „Minihaus
München“ 2009 in der Fürstenrieder Straße 267 eröffnet.

„Die erste Zeit war spannend und nicht immer ganz einfach. Wir mussten uns erst einmal
einarbeiten und sind auch in das eine oder andere Fettnäpfchen getreten“, gibt Eckerl zu. Aber

der Erfolg der ersten Kinderkrippe gab ihnen recht. So wurde bereits 2010 die zweite Einrichtung für
Krippen- und Kindergartenkinder in der Menzinger Straße eröffnet. In den folgenden Jahren kamen
weitere fünf Minihäuser in der Tölzer Straße, Pippinger Straße, Truderingerstraße, Fürstenrieder
Straße und am Westpark hinzu.

In den vergangenen 10 Jahren haben sich nicht nur die Betreuungsangebote in den Minihäusern
verändert, sondern auch die Ansprüche der Eltern an die Kinderbetreuung. „Wir müssen immer
wieder auf aktuelle Entwicklungen reagieren und natürlich die Wünsche der Eltern und Kinder
berücksichtigen“, erklärt Jacqueline Gröger-Eckerl. Dabei legt die Familie viel Wert auf die Qualität
der Kinderbetreuung.

Deshalb bieten die Minihäuser nicht nur eine liebevolle Betreuung durch
pädagogische Fachkräfte, sondern darüber hinaus besondere Konzepte zur Förderung der Kinder in
den Bereichen Musik und Bewegung, Sprache und Literatur, Kunst und Kreativität sowie Natur und
Technik. Schließlich möchten die Eltern ihr Kind „mit dem guten Gefühl in die Betreuung geben,
dass das Kind gut aufgehoben ist, etwas lernt und sich amüsiert, so dass sie ein glückliches Kind
wieder abholen.“

Glückliche Kinder und somit auch glückliche Eltern – das ist das oberste Ziel der Minihäuser
München, auch für die kommenden 10 Jahre. Das nächste Minihaus ist bereits in Planung: Wenn die
International Bilingual School Munich (IBSM) in Zukunft auf den neuen Schulcampus zieht, wird in
das dann frei werdende Gebäude in der Lerchenauer Straße ein neues Minihaus einziehen. Dabei
bleibt jedoch die oberste Devise des Familienunternehmens „Qualität vor Quantität“. „Wir wollen
nicht Münchens größter Träger, sondern Münchens bester Träger sein“, betont Rainer Eckerl. (jh)

Das Minihaus München hat mit fast 40 Metern Standfläche und einem bunten Kinderprogramm zum
Gelingen des Truderinger Hofflohmarkts beigetragen. Während sich die zahlreichen Besucher an den
Verkaufstischen umschauen konnten, gab es für die Kinder ein buntes Angebot: Sie konnten sich vom
Musikpädagogen Jörg Goller unterhalten lassen, beim Dosenwerfen oder Eierlaufen mitmachen und
sich beim Kinderschminken fantasievoll bemalen lassen. 

Interessierte Gäste hatten Gelegenheit, an einer Hausführung teilzunehmen. Außerdem gab es
Interviews mit der Leitung des Truderinger Minihauses, Corinna Jantsch, und dem Musikpädagogen
Jörg Goller. Zur Stärkung gab es ein vielfältiges Kuchenbuffet, dessen Erlös an ein soziales Projekt
gespendet wird. (jh)

Bei den meisten Kindern stehen Schmetterlinge, Feen, Piraten oder Tiger hoch im Kurs, wenn es um
Kinderschminken geht. Das Team vom Minihaus München, das sich mit einem Info-Stand an der
Stadtteilwoche Sendling-Obersendling beteiligt hat, stand vor einer ganz neuen Herausforderung: Ein
Mädchen wollte gern als Panther geschminkt werden. Auch die etwas erstaunte Nachfrage der
Erzieherin - „Aber ein Panther ist ganz schwarz..?!“ - hat das Mädchen nicht von ihrem Wunsch
abgebracht. Nur auf‘s Foto wollte sie leider nicht.

Während sich die Kinder von den pädagogischen Mitarbeiterinnen schminken lassen konnten, hatten
interessierte Eltern die Möglichkeit, sich über die Betreuungsangebote in den insgesamt sieben
Minihäusern in München zu informieren und mit den fachlichen Leitungen ins Gespräch zu kommen.

Das Minihaus München ist eine Kindertageseinrichtung mit insgesamt sieben Standorten
in Sendling, Pasing, Thalkirchen und Trudering. Es bietet flexible Betreuungsangebote für
Kinder im Alter von neun Wochen bis zum Schuleintritt. Die Kinderkrippen und
Kindergärten arbeiten mit einem erstklassigen bildungsorientierten Konzept, das die
Grundbedürfnisse der Kinder in den Mittelpunkt stellt.

Neben extralangen Öffnungszeiten zeichnen sich die Minihäuser durch besondere Bildungs- und Bewegungsangebote für
Kinder wie Capoeira, Malerei, musikalische Frühförderung und Literaturangebote aus. (jh)