Our author
"Little e2 Einsteins" - with paint and brushes for more joy in learning.
How around 50 Vibracoustic employees transformed a kindergarten.
It really wasn't a particularly pretty sight: The plaster was peeling off the walls, playground equipment was weathered, and the fallow garden was not exactly inviting for playing. The Motýlek kindergarten in the Czech town of Mělník was still dormant at the beginning of the year. Forgotten by the local authorities for a long time, public funds failed to materialize to beautify the facility and make it more suitable for children. Employees of Vibracoustic in Mělník also noticed this. "On my way to work, I walked past the kindergarten every day and kept wondering how I could help beautify the place," says HR manager Katerina Hoškova. When she and her colleagues came across the Freudenberg e2 initiative, they had a brilliant idea.
Through e2, the company provides financial support for voluntary projects run by employees worldwide in the fields of education and the environment. More than 160 projects have been supported in this way since 2015.
They applied and shortly afterwards received the hoped-for approval from the e2 committee for their project, which was named "Little e2 Einsteins."
At first, we just wanted to beautify the facade, but then we decided to create something that the little ones could use every day for their play and help them learn
Katerina Hoškova
So, during the summer vacations, the staff enthusiastically took up paint and brushes and first gave the playground equipment and benches in the garden a new coat of paint. Colorful furniture was also created for the classrooms. On the terrace, the project team set up a child-friendly workshop to promote the children's creative and motor skills. And in the rather unsightly garden, a lawn with a soccer field was created. As a highlight of the outdoor area, a small traffic practice area was built, where the little ones can practice proper behavior in traffic. To teach the children the joy of gardening, the team built small flower beds and created a compost heap as well as a rain barrel and small watering cans.
In the end, there were about 50 employees who energetically helped with the beautification. "We took turns during the hot summer months, and everyone helped out as best they could to make the children's surprise perfect by the time school started," Hošková says. When the 40 or so children from the "Motýlek" daycare center entered their newly designed school building for the first time in September, they were amazed, as the head of the daycare center, Hana Nováková, confirms: "The children were simply thrilled and can now play and learn with more joy! And we kindergarten teachers are also very grateful, because at last, for example, we can use our terrace from spring to fall thanks to the new shading system."
Previously a fallow garden ...
The small hill that used to serve sledding in winter ...
Where before was stored all kinds of stuff ...
... now a place for gardening and discovery.
... made way for a new soccer field.
... in the future, the three- to six-year-old children will be able to craft to their heart's content in a small workshop.
At the same time, the project has also strengthened positive relations with the municipality and the residents of Mělník, Hošková says. She and her colleagues had already managed numerous local aid campaigns in the past, including a bake sale to benefit a local retirement home, a fundraiser for sick children or support for the local Red Cross for refugees.
"We try to help wherever we can and thus live up to our social responsibility," Hošková continues.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Imagination and creativity are important aspects of child development and play a crucial role in children's learning and growth. Therefore, it is important to support children in learning and exploring the world around them.
Our "little Einsteins" agree and are also excited about this, as shown by these pictures they drew as a 'thank you' for the team.
Through e2, the company provides financial support for voluntary projects run by employees worldwide in the fields of education and the environment. More than 160 projects have been supported in this way since 2015.
Requests for funding for new or existing projects can be made at https://esquared.freudenberg.com.