Extended childcare offer: voestalpine draws positive conclusions after one year

Currently, 120 children are being cared for in the daycare center and kindergarten at voestalpine’s Linz site, which is 20 children more than a year ago. In the 24-hour childcare program, five of the eight spots initially planned have been filled. Both day care and round-the-clock care can be expanded if demand continues to increase. There was also high demand for the new “Vacation at Work” (“Ferien im Betrieb”) program: during the summer holidays, 25 children between the ages of six and 12 were cared for each week over a five-week period. Due to the high demand, a program is also planned for the upcoming Northern fall and Easter holidays.

The 24-hour childcare for children up to 12 years is primarily aimed at employees with both parents working shifts, as well as those with extended working hours, such as those in voestalpine’s occupational health service or fire department. Parents can register their needs for overnight care, as well as care during early or late shifts, weekends, or holidays, in advance according to their work schedules. For children whose parents have worked a night shift, a designated sleeping time is provided, and they are looked after until the early afternoon. On the non-shift days, the children stay at home with their families.

Special consideration is also given to the needs and work situation of parents when allocating spots in the daycare center and kindergarten. This means that the regular opening hours (6:30 am – 5:00 pm) can be extended, if needed, to a time frame of 6:00 am – 7:00 pm.

voestalpine also places great emphasis on early education in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in its childcare program in Linz, aiming to foster children’s interest and skills in these crucial areas. Various STEM projects are offered, such as composting fruit and vegetable scraps in worm boxes, programming “BeeBots,” or conducting easy experiments like mixing colors. All children are supported equally, especially as there are no gender-specific differences in interest in STEM subjects at an early age.