Our smallest links – the “Kinderkette”

The iwis kindergarten was founded in 1973 as a company kindergarten by the then managing director Dipl. Ing. Gerhard Winklhofer. He was prompted to take action by the overall shortage of kindergarten places in Munich. The situation was particularly bad in the Sendling district of the city, where there were 549 fewer places than required.

The company kindergarten is not only a social institution for the children of iwis employees, but also provides kindergarten places for children from the Sendling district.

When the company kindergarten was first set up, it was young women working in the production department who benefitted the most. The proportion of women working in chain assembly at iwis has always been relatively high, and they who have traditionally made most use of the services of the kindergarten at their place of work. In the main, this structure is still applicable today.

• Holistic concept for a family-conscious work environment including measures to improve the compatibility of family and career
• One full-day care group for 25 children of kindergarten age (3 years and up) and one group for under-threes
• The kindergarten management and staff are all full-time qualified educators and/or paediatric nurses
• Flexible opening times
• Lunchtime nap for the smaller children in a separate quiet room

• The children eat lunch together in the kindergarten. Food is provided by the company canteen
• Diverse clientele includes many different nationalities, outlooks and religions, reflecting the diversity in the workplace at iwis
• German lessons, language development lessons for migrants, English lessons, music lessons
• Affordable kindergarten fees