Press Release

Braunschweig, 17 April 2018. "Frech Daxe ("Cheeky Kids") take over company kindergarten at Volkswagen Financial Services AG" was the title of the press release at the time. "And how!" one could now add with hindsight. The in-house childcare facility run by Impuls Soziales Management GmbH & Co. KG, which opened in spring 2008, was one of the largest of its kind in Germany at the time and served as a role model for many other companies. Today, the children's house offers places for almost 180 children from the families of the company's employees.

Christiane Hesse, Member of the Management Board with responsibility for Human Resources and Organisation explains: "With our Frech Daxe company kindergarten, we made a wise, and above all sustainable, investment over ten years ago. The goal we set ourselves at the time, namely to enhance both on-the-job satisfaction and productivity and at the same time increase the motivation of our employees – especially the younger ones –, has certainly been achieved. But what's more, the facility has increased our attractiveness as an employer in what is a highly competitive environment. The many employer awards we've received over the past decade are a good confirmation of this."

What is so special about the company childcare at Volkswagen Financial Services? It was part of a collective agreement that was reached in 2006 and represented a clear commitment to Braunschweig as the site of the company's operations. Simone Mahler, Vice-Chairperson of the Volkswagen Financial Services Works Council, points out: "The Works Council was the driving force and decisive factor in the genesis of Frech Daxe – and at the time it was our colleagues who made an important contribution to the establishment of our workplace childcare centre. For ten years now, the children's house has been making it much easier for our colleagues to reconcile their individual lifestyles and their careers. We're very proud that an employee-backed corporate childcare model has become so successful."

Children up to the age of six are looked after in ten groups on the company-owned premises covering 6,000 m². The children's house has a movement hall, creative, sensory and music rooms, a learning workshop and a large outdoor area with climbing mountains, sandboxes, gravel pits and a mud play area. All meals are freshly prepared in the in-house kitchen. The Frech Daxe children's house is open all year round on workdays from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The pedagogical concept focuses on the areas of language (including the promotion of bilingual competence), the fostering of musical creativity and scientific interests, and the encouragement of physical activity.

Information for editors:

Volkswagen Financial Services are a business division of the Volkswagen AG group of companies and comprise Volkswagen Financial Services AG along with its associated companies, Volkswagen Bank GmbH, Porsche Financial Services, and the financial services companies in the USA, Canada, and Spain that belong directly or indirectly to Volkswagen AG – with the exception of the financial services of the Scania brand and Porsche Holding Salzburg. The key business fields embrace dealer and customer financing, leasing, the bank and insurance business, fleet management and mobility offers. Volkswagen Financial Services have a total of 15,770 employees worldwide – including 6,670 alone in Germany. Volkswagen Financial Services report total assets of around EUR 186.9 billion, an operating result of EUR 2.5 billion euros and a portfolio of around 19.7 million current contracts (as at: 31.12.2017).