Maren Kürger (former director) and Connor Schinkewitz (assistant director) from CompanyKids Königskinder in Hanover
News
18.09.2026 Ifenna Ekezie 434

20 Years of CompanyKids Königskinder: childcare center Celebrates a Major Anniversary

Hanover, September 1, 2026 – CompanyKids Königskinder celebrated its 20th anniversary on Wednesday. As the first company-run daycare center in Hanover, the facility—with its two groups—has provided families with a reliable place where work-life balance is a reality since its founding. To mark the occasion, the center hosted a special art opening: Under the theme “Yayoi Kusama,” the children presented works they had created over the course of several months in the workshops at the “ childcare center .” 

Thanks to the Team and Founders 

“Twenty years—at first glance, that sounds like a long time. And yet it’s clear that this place thrives because of the people who shape it,”said Regional Director Linda Kiryakos in her anniversary speech. 

Special recognition was given to Maren Krüger, the facility’s former director, for her many years of work in establishing and continuously supporting the facility, as well as to Nicole Jardon for her early leadership partnership.

A very special thank you went out to Nicole Herbst: After previously working in childcare, she returned to the field and now, as director, shapes the “ childcare center ” with a focus on pedagogy, consistency, and new ideas. Connor Schinkewitz was also welcomed as the new assistant director, bringing fresh perspectives to the team. 

An Opening Reception to Celebrate the Anniversary 

The CompanyKids Königskinder program is based on the principle of workshop-style education —with a focus on free experimentation and sensory discovery. This concept also served as the framework for the anniversary exhibition themed “Yayoi Kusama”:

For weeks, the children explored dots, circles, and curves—across all the workshops. The result was a collection of individual and group works that were lovingly arranged and displayed. 

To celebrate, numerous hands-on activities gave young and old alike the chance to get involved: A confetti table invited visitors to explore, touch, and feel; large cardboard building blocks could be decorated with dot stickers in the building workshop; and in the studio, light experiments using a projector and an overhead projector left everyone in awe. The exhibition allowed everyone to experience the children’s creativity and their joy in creating together. 

Postcards and canvases for a good cause 

The parent representatives actively supported the event: Postcards designed by the children themselves were offered for sale. Canvases, on which the children could experiment extensively with paint, were auctioned off. The proceeds will go toward a garden easel for the children—so that their creative work can continue outdoors as well. 

Contact information for CompanyKids Königskinder in Hanover 

Facility Director: Nicole Herbst 

CompanyKids Königskinder 

Königstraße 35, 30175 Hanover 

Phone: 0511 – 30025437 

Email: companykids.koenigskinder@familienservice.de 

More information:CompanyKids Königskinder

The pme Familienservice learning worlds 

With over 90 childcare and educational facilities nationwide, pme Familienservice Lernwelten is one of the largest private providers of such services. pme Familienservice views providing working parents with childcare close to their workplace as a genuine commitment by companies to work-life balance. Its educational approach focuses on flexible care hours, healthy nutrition, and high-quality education. 

About the pme Familienservice - work-life pioneer since 1991 

On behalf of more than 1,400 employers, the pme Familienservice Group helps employees successfully balance their professional and personal lives. More than 90 child care and educational facilities offer high-quality, flexible educational programs. The pme Familienservice Group operates in more than 70 locations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic and employs over 2,000 staff members as well as numerous experts from various fields. 

zero New offer: referral to psychotherapeutic care

Woman is afraid
Offer
06.09.2024 Sabrina Ludwig 15358

New: Referral to psychotherapeutic care

Psychosocial counseling or coaching often helps to overcome a difficult life situation or conflict. For people with mental illnesses, however, this offer falls short. This is why the pme specialist counseling service refers its clients to initial therapeutic counseling, psychosomatic clinics or health insurance-financed psychotherapy if required.

Anyone looking for therapy needs two things above all: time and patience. Psychotherapy is hard to come by. On average, it takes up to six months to find a suitable psychotherapist. The waiting lists are long, and those looking can usually only reach the answering machines of the practices. The frustration threshold is quickly reached.

Tackling this hurdle is particularly difficult or even impossible if you are mentally ill yourself and suffer from depression, for example. "Then even the simplest things in everyday life are incredibly difficult. People with depression don't pick up the phone and spend months looking for a place in therapy," says Jutta Dreyer, Product Manager for Life Situation Coaching and pme Assistance. "That's why we want to provide support here and have put together a team that will start the search for a suitable place in therapy exclusively for pme customers."

Range of services (depending on the contractual agreement):

1. initial consultation/crisis intervention 24/7

2. referral to psychiatric care

3. anamnesis and discharge interviews by a psychological psychotherapist

4. placement in psychotherapy financed by health insurance (up to 8 hours of research)

5th consultation hour at the Schön Kliniken

6. shortened admission to the Schön Klinik Bad Arolsen (specialist clinic for psychosomatics)

7. online psychotherapy via MindDoc (online psychotherapy)

8. ongoing group coaching (type of self-help group to provide support and stability in difficult times)
 

Frequently requested counseling topics for mental illness/crisis are:

  • Dealing with employees who are mentally very stressed and ill (by managers)
  • Overburdened teams due to long-term absences
  • Crises and suicidal tendencies
  • Mentally ill employees who are desperately looking for psychotherapeutic care (hours of fruitless phone calls, waiting list, etc.)

Initial consultation with a psychological psychotherapist

Before a place in therapy or psychiatry can be arranged, it is often helpful for clients to have an initial consultation with a psychotherapist. During this consultation, the therapist clarifies, among other things, whether a mental illness is present and which treatment is the right one.

"The initial consultation is very important. Sometimes clients ask for psychotherapy. However, after we have talked to them in detail about their condition and medical history, addiction counseling or family counseling turns out to be suitable. Here, too, we start looking for a place".

Jutta Dreyer, family therapist, pme Familienservice

Focus of content:

1. anamnesis

2. psychoeducation about the disorder

3. joint development of an individual explanatory model for the problem

4. use of psychotherapeutic interventions

5. assistance with the problem

Note: The anamnesis is conducted by a psychological psychotherapist permanently employed by the pme Familienservice .

Good to know: 52 percent increase in days absent due to mental illness

Depression, anxiety, burnout: mental illness has a major impact on employee absenteeism and reached a new high in 2023. This is shown by the current DAK-Gesundheit mental health report based on the sick notes of 2.39 million DAK-insured employees. Across all occupational groups. DAK-insured employees had a total of 323 days of incapacity to work per 100 insured persons.



​​​​​​​The statistics show the development of days of incapacity for work (AU days) due to mental illness (F00-F99) in Germany from 2013 to 2023 (source: Statista).
 

Life coaching: Counseling and coaching for conflicts and crises

In our consultations and coaching sessions, we work according to the approach of solution-oriented consulting and support your employees in professional and private crises such as conflicts at work, psychological stress, parenting issues, addiction problems, financial emergencies and much more.

In recent years, the pme Familienservice has continued to develop its range of services in order to find suitable solutions for employees and companies.