Kids first

The city council and Entwicklungsgesellschaft der Stadt Mönchengladbach (EWMG) invited tenders to build childcare centres at five sites. The city council approved the sale of the land at its meeting last Wednesday.

According to a study by an insurance comparison portal, Mönchengladbach is top of the family-friendly leader board for Germany’s 30 largest cities. While the choice and evaluation of the selection criteria may be open to debate, it is a fact that childcare is an important criterion for just how family-friendly a city really is. The city’s department of children, youth and families joined forces with EWMG to launch a childcare campaign and is currently planning childcare centres at five further sites.

To be more specific, land is being made available on Gathersweg, Tomper Eck, Pongser Straße, Ritterstraße and Wetschewell. “Construction of these five childcare centres creates 390 new places for pre-school children. That is another big step in our efforts to significantly expand childcare facilities in Mönchengladbach,” Dörte Schall, departmental head of social affairs, commented. Dirk Spieker, division manager at EWMG, added: “If we want families with children to settle in Mönchengladbach, we not only need land to build enough residential properties, but we also need to provide sites throughout the city for needs-oriented childcare.”

Contract award was not only based on the price offered for the land and the timeline for construction of the childcare facilities, but also focused closely on the pedagogical concept. The investor/operator consortiums have committed to deliver speedy construction of the childcare centres; plans for four of the five sites also include further residential space.

Five childcare centres with a total of between 16 and 20 groups are to be built at the five sites. Another big step for Mönchengladbach to retain its reputation as a family-friendly city for a long time to come.