Insolvency of pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH: City of Bremen suspends payment
(Bremen, November 20, 2025) pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH, the provider of eight daycare centers in Bremen, has to file for insolvency. After years of negotiations, a partially won court case and a 1.2 million euro loan from a subsidiary, it was not possible to obtain adequate financing from the City of Bremen. In the middle of ongoing negotiations and just a few weeks before Christmas, the City of Bremen stopped its payments, forcing the company to file for insolvency.
- Future of eight childcare centers in Bremen uncertain
- 430 children and 120 employees affected
Years of underfunding lead to deficits in the millions
For years, pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH has been drawing the City of Bremen's attention to the serious underfunding of its eight childcare centers. The reference value for childcare center has not been adequately adjusted to the increased costs since 2008. Personnel, material and real estate costs are not fully covered and the index supplement for childcare centers in socially disadvantaged districts has been removed for the provider.
The resulting deficits are dramatic: by the end of 2024, the company has accumulated a loss of around 1.1 million euros. A sister company has already provided loans amounting to 1.2 million euros and may not grant any further loans without the prospect of a sustainable solution.
Court successes remain without consequences
In order to enforce its justified claims, pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH brought several lawsuits before the Bremen Administrative Court. In June 2025, pme won important parts of a court case for the 2022 grant year: the court ordered the City of Bremen to reassess pme's application in accordance with the court's legal opinion.
"We have exhausted all legal means and achieved success in court. The city of Bremen is unable or unwilling to meet its legal obligation to provide adequate funding," explains Alexa Ahmad, Managing Director of pme Familienservice GmbH.
Talks failed - city stops payment without warning
On October 10, 2025, a meeting was held with those responsible at the City of Bremen. pme had formulated eight specific requirements to ensure that the childcare centers could continue to operate:
- Complete processing of all unaudited where-used lists since 2019
- Implementation of the existing court ruling
- Conclusion of all pending court proceedings by means of a settlement
- Full compensation of the deficit for 2025 and 2026
- Reimbursement of incidental real estate costs and index increases
- Recognition of index status for childcare centers in disadvantaged districts
- Funding commitment for the "Systemic childcare center" project
- Active support with space allocation
In recent weeks, pme has been in intensive discussions with the City of Bremen. On November 18, 2025, pme received a letter in which the city withdrew the 2025 grant and announced that it would cease ongoing payments for November and December 2025. The city thus ended the joint search and negotiations regarding the orderly continued operation of the facilities.
"We have tried everything. The city is not willing to fulfill its responsibilities," says Alexa Ahmad. "We were prepared to carry on for the children, parents and our team members despite high deficits. The city of Bremen stopped its payments in the middle of ongoing negotiations. Without these funds, we are no longer even allowed to pay the November salaries, although we still have the money in our account. Now we have to draw the consequences with a heavy heart."
Not an isolated case: "Petri und Eichen" also had to file for insolvency
In June 2025, the largest child and youth welfare provider in Bremen, "Petri und Eichen", with around 500 employees, had to file for insolvency under self-administration. The provider had to part with its four daycare centers - all four were taken over by childcare center Bremen. (Buten und Binnen, 24.09.2025)
"The case of Petri and Eichen clearly shows that the City of Bremen's funding practices are structurally inadequate," emphasizes Alexa Ahmad. "Even large, established providers are being driven into insolvency."
Impact on children, families and employees
The insolvency affects eight childcare centers with a total of 540 places and around 120 employees. pme actively campaigned for a takeover of the childcare centers in advance in order to ensure the care of the children and preserve the jobs. No provider wanted to take over the centers in the current year. The abrupt cessation of payments is now forcing the management to file for insolvency immediately due to legal regulations.
"Our primary goal is to find a good solution for the children, families and our team members," explains Alexa Ahmad. "Now it will be the task of the insolvency administration to create prospects in the near future. We gave 1.2 million euros in loans, negotiated for years and won in court. We were even prepared to bear further manageable deficits. That's all we can do! Now it's the City of Bremen's turn. It must guarantee adequate funding or take over the childcare centers itself. The responsibility for this crisis clearly lies with the City of Bremen."
About pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH
pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH operates eight daycare centers in Bremen with a total of approx. 430 childcare places and almost 120 employees. The facilities were set up as part of the city's service planning and make an important contribution to fulfilling the legal entitlement to childcare in Bremen. pme Familienservice Bremen gGmbH is a subsidiary of pme Familienservice GmbH, one of the leading providers of childcare and Familienservice in Germany.
Press contact
Daniel Erler
Head of Corporate Communications
pme Familienservice GmbH
Flottwellstrasse 4-5
10785 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 26393566
E-mail: familienservice
