Fröbel

Fröbel (formally the Fröbel-Gruppe) is a German non-profit corporate group that operates crèches, day-care centres for children (Kindertageseinrichtungen), after-school care (Horte), projects for child and youth welfare (Hilfen zur Erziehung) and other youth welfare facilities. It is named after the pedagogue Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel, the founder of the kindergarten concept, and its pedagogical approach is based on his work. The group is organised around the Fröbel e. V. association, the operating subsidiary Fröbel Bildung und Erziehung gGmbH, and Fröbel International GmbH. With 20,964 children cared for in 237 facilities in 2023, Fröbel describes itself as Germany's largest supra-regional free non-profit provider of child day-care facilities. Roughly one third of the children it serves are under the age of three, making work with the youngest children a particular focus. Fröbel positions itself as an implementation and cooperation partner in the field of early childhood education, and its guiding principle places children's rights at the centre. The organisation was founded in Berlin in 1990 as Fröbel e. V. It expanded into the Senftenberg region in 1993, then into Berlin and Potsdam in 1995 and 1999, and built up regional offices in Frankfurt (Oder) and Leipzig in the late 1990s. In 2008 it founded Froebel Australia Ltd. as a foreign subsidiary after taking over two day-care centres in Sydney. In September 2015 the regional operating companies in Berlin, Cottbus, Hamburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Cologne, Leipzig, Potsdam, Senftenberg, Essen and Munich were merged into Fröbel Bildung und Erziehung gGmbH. Fröbel International GmbH, together with the Klett Group, delivers private-sector corporate childcare in Sydney and Melbourne. Since March 2018 Fröbel has run a technical college for social pedagogy in Berlin through Fröbel Akademie gGmbH, adding a second one in Cologne in August 2023. Beyond its core pedagogical work, Fröbel engages in partnerships with companies, universities and public bodies to create education projects, corporate volunteering and advocacy for good early education. It is a recognised provider of youth welfare, a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, and since January 2014 a member of the National Coalition Germany for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It has also been a first signatory and member of the Kita-Bündnis NRW. During the COVID-19 pandemic Fröbel joined ten other non-profit day-care providers in Berlin to strengthen its negotiating position with policymakers, criticising the lack of a capital-city allowance for staff of independent providers, short-notice changes to emergency operation rules, chaotic testing strategies and a halt to day-care expansion. Fröbel also publicly criticised Berlin's funding policy, warning that more than 1,350 day-care places were at massive risk and sending an open letter to members of the Berlin House of Representatives and district mayors. In March 2024 the Archdiocese of Cologne announced it would consolidate more than 540 Catholic day-care centres into a single provider and cooperate with the Fröbel-Gruppe in doing so. Fröbel continues to operate as a non-profit group with a strong emphasis on children's rights, language education, inclusion and equal educational opportunity.

The Fröbel-Gruppe traces its origins to the founding of Fröbel e. V. in Berlin in 1990. The association is named after Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel, the pedagogue who created the kindergarten concept, and its pedagogical work is based on his ideas. Three years after its founding, in 1993, the association took over day-care facilities in the Senftenberg region. In 1995 and 1999 it expanded day-care operations to Berlin and Potsdam. At the same time, in the late 1990s, it began building regional offices in Frankfurt (Oder) and Leipzig. In 2008, following the takeover of two day-care centres in Sydney, the non-profit subsidiary Froebel Australia Ltd. was founded as a foreign subsidiary. The association is led by a full-time executive board and supported by a supervisory board whose members serve exclusively on an honorary basis. A advisory council (Beirat) meets twice a year and currently consists of eleven experts from business, science and child and youth welfare. Fröbel e. V. is a recognised provider of youth welfare and a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband. Since January 2014 it has been a member of the National Coalition Germany – Network for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is also a first signatory and member of the Kita-Bündnis NRW. In September 2015, the regional operating companies in Berlin, Cottbus, Hamburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Cologne, Leipzig, Potsdam, Senftenberg, Essen and Munich were merged into Fröbel Bildung und Erziehung gGmbH, the non-profit subsidiary of Fröbel e. V. that operates the day-care centres and youth welfare facilities. Fröbel International GmbH, together with the Klett Group, realises private-sector corporate childcare offerings in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Since March 2018, Fröbel has operated a technical college for social pedagogy in Berlin through its subsidiary Fröbel Akademie gGmbH, and since August 2023 a second technical college for social pedagogy in Cologne. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fröbel joined with ten other non-profit day-care providers in Berlin to form an alliance to strengthen its negotiating position with policymakers. The alliance around Fröbel, representing around 150 day-care centres in Berlin, criticised the lack of a capital-city allowance for employees of independent providers, short-notice changes to emergency operation rules, the chaotic testing strategy and the halt to day-care expansion. Because of emergency care regulations, many day-care centres remained open during the lockdown, which Fröbel criticised as coming at the expense of staff. As early as January 2021 it became known that educators in day-care centres faced a very high risk of infection because they work directly with children and often cannot maintain hygiene distance. Fröbel also criticised Berlin's funding policy for day-care centres: independent providers could no longer apply for funding for 2020 and 2021 even though a growing need for day-care places was forecast. Fröbel described more than 1,350 day-care places as 'massively at risk' and sent an open letter to members of the Berlin House of Representatives and district mayors. For the 2021/2022 day-care year, some Fröbel facilities could no longer take in new children. In March 2024, the Archdiocese of Cologne announced that it would consolidate more than 540 Catholic day-care centres into a single provider and cooperate with the Fröbel-Gruppe in this process. As of 2023, Fröbel cared for 20,964 children in 237 facilities, making it Germany's largest supra-regional free non-profit provider of day-care facilities. One third of those cared for are children under three. Fröbel is particularly prominent as an implementation and cooperation partner in early childhood education, and its guiding principle places children's rights at the forefront.

• 2024

  Archdiocese of Cologne announces consolidation of over 540 Catholic day-care centres with cooperation from Fröbel-Gruppe in March.

• 2023

  Second technical college for social pedagogy opens in Cologne in August; 20,964 children cared for in 237 facilities.

• 2021

  Fröbel criticises Berlin's funding policy, warning that over 1,350 day-care places are at massive risk.

• 2018

  Fröbel Akademie gGmbH opens a technical college for social pedagogy in Berlin in March.

• 2015

  Regional operating companies merged into Fröbel Bildung und Erziehung gGmbH in September.

• 2014

  Fröbel e. V. becomes a member of the National Coalition Germany for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• 2008

  Founds Froebel Australia Ltd. after taking over two day-care centres in Sydney.

• 1999

  Expands day-care operations to Potsdam; builds regional offices in Frankfurt (Oder) and Leipzig in the late 1990s.

• 1995

  Expands day-care operations to Berlin.

• 1993

  Takes over day-care facilities in the Senftenberg region.

• 1990

  Fröbel e. V. founded in Berlin.

Germany's largest supra-regional non-profit provider of early childhood education and childcare, emphasising children's rights, equal opportunity, inclusion and language education.

• Crèches (Krippen)

  Care for children under three years old.

• Kindergartens (Kindertageseinrichtungen)

  Day-care centres for children from around age three until school entry.

• After-school care (Horte)

  Care for school-age children outside school hours.

• Hilfen zur Erziehung

  Projects and services for child and youth welfare.

• Corporate childcare (betriebsnahe Kitas)

  Day-care centres near or within companies, open to employees and sometimes the wider community.

• Fröbel Akademie

  Technical colleges for social pedagogy in Berlin and Cologne.

• Kita-Fachtexte

  Peer-reviewed academic texts for early childhood education, offered free as PDF downloads in cooperation with Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin and nifbe.

1. 1Fröbel - Für Kinder | Startseitefroebel-gruppe.de
2. 2Engagement - Fröbel - Für Kinderfroebel-gruppe.de
3. 3Erfolgsgeschichten - Fröbel - Für Kinderfroebel-gruppe.de
4. 4Fröbel engagiert sich - Fröbel - Für Kinderfroebel-gruppe.de
5. 5Fröbel - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Fröbel-Gruppe - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org