Child­care at Events

If required, the Family Service Office organises childcare during faculty celebrations, conferences, symposia, workshops and other events.

Childcare is provided by qualified educators and students in child-friendly rooms at the event venue or in the PUKi short-term childcare centre in E2.301 and can be provided on a daily or hourly basis.

Childcare at events enables some parents to participate in the first place and is therefore an important contribution to the compatibility of (academic) work and family life.

It is advisable to contact the Family Service Office at an early stage when planning and organising an event with accompanying childcare. At the latest 8 weeks before the event, ideally during the planning phase.

Plan­ning & In­vit­a­tion

If you are interested in organising an event, please contact the Family Service Officeas early as possible (at least 8 weeks before the event). This is the only way that dates can be taken into account when planning staff and holidays. The earlier a registration is made, the greater the likelihood that childcare can be provided. The Family Service Office will of course also endeavour to offer childcare in emergencies that arise at short notice.

For larger events, such as conferences, please contact Noelle Maicher-Hoff during the planning phase.

The childcare service should be mentioned when an event is first announced and the specific enquiry about requirements should ideally be incorporated directly into the registration process.

The Family Service Office requires a list with the following information:

  1. Name of the child
  2. Date of birth of the child
  3. Name of the local parent or guardian
  4. Mobile phone number of the parent or guardian on site
  5. E-mail address of the parent or guardian on site
  6. Required childcare time(s): Date/time (from-to)
  7. If a carer is also travelling, this information is also helpful (often the case with breastfeeding children), as in this case it is usually sufficient for the families to be provided with facilities.

Organisational note on the (lunch) break:

When planning the catering, please include the children. The children cannot be catered for in the PUKi rooms.

It has proven to be a good idea to provide a dining table in the dining room for families so that they can take a more relaxed break. Standing tables make the break more difficult for parents and especially for the children. If the canteen is used during the lunch break, you do not need to provide a dining area for parents and children. There are dining tables, a few children's chairs and a small play corner.

It should also be noted that childcare may not be available during the lunch break. This depends on how many carers are on duty. If there is only one carer on site, they must take a break of at least 30 minutes.

Fin­an­cing & Cost Cal­cu­la­tion

The costs incurred for childcare during the event will be charged to the organiser by the FamilyServiceOffice.

Personnel costs: The costs vary depending on the number and age of the children, as the number and qualifications of the carers depend on this. 

Insurance costs: The FamilyServiceOffice takes out combined liability and accident insurance for the carers and children before the event.

The FamilyServiceOffice will be happy to advise you on this and calculate the costs in advance.

Room Or­gan­isa­tion & Equip­ment

Room

Depending on the venue, childcare can take place on the PUKi premises (room: E2.301) or in an organised room in the immediate vicinity of the event. It is important that the parents can be reached promptly (max. 15 minutes) in case of special incidents or if the children miss their parents very much.

If childcare cannot take place on the PUKi premises (for example, because it is an event at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute), it is important to check which rooms are suitable for childcare. Experience has shown that organisers tend to quickly classify rooms as suitable for children. In practice, however, some conditions prove to be difficult. For example, some automatically air-conditioned rooms have floor ventilation, and both carers and children quickly catch a cold because children usually play on the floor. Power sockets can also be a major hazard. These and other reasons make a room inspection by the organiser and ideally by the supervisor indispensable.

The following conditions should be checked during a room inspection:

  • Is it a closed and protected room? Lots of windows with a view of the conference proceedings can unsettle the children.

  • The childcare room should be in the immediate vicinity of or within walking distance of the actual conference venue and should be no more than 15 minutes' walk away.

  • Is the room also accessible with a pushchair (or only accessible via stairs)?

  • If the room is air-conditioned, can the air conditioning be switched off or regulated by the carer?

  • If there are floor sockets or other sockets within reach of children, can these be switched off, locked or fitted with a simple socket fuse? (the carers can bring reusable socket fuses. The Family Service Office must be informed of the number of sockets in the childcare room).

  • If equipment such as projectors, beamers, flipcharts or similar are within direct reach of children, can they be dismantled and stored elsewhere? Anything that could be damaged, could become a hazard or could tempt children to climb on it should be stowed elsewhere.

  • If there are tables and chairs in the room, can they be dismantled as far as possible and stored elsewhere so that there is enough space to play (including on the floor)?

  • It has proven useful to place a group of tables (2-3 tables as a group table and a few chairs) in the room (to be organised by the organiser).

  • Lecture theatres with a slope/stairs have proven to be unsuitable as they invite people to "run around" and pose too great a risk of tripping.

  • Is there a toilet with a hand basin in the immediate vicinity (ideally in the same corridor) of the childcare room? Ideally, there should be a washbasin directly in the room.

  • Changing and breastfeeding room ideally nearby.

 

Equipment

The PUKi is adequately equipped. If the childcare during the event takes place at a different location, toys are required for child-appropriate supervision (depending on the age and number of children). Ideally, the mobile Kidsbox can be used. This is a fold-out cupboard box on wheels with toys, travel cot etc. The box is large and very heavy. The box is large and very heavy. The equipment must be checked for completeness beforehand and equipped with PUKi material if necessary. The transport of material must be organised by the organiser. Please ask the Family Service Office for the location and contact details of the KidsBox.

The play material should always be highly stimulating in order to distract the children well, as they do not receive a classic familiarisation. Arrangements must be made together with the FamilyServiceOffice or the scheduled carers.