The new Meyrin crèche takes its first steps

The new Meyrin crèche was inaugurated on 10 October and already caters for 16 children of CERN personnel.

At the end of August, the new Meyrin crèche in Champs-Fréchets, the Espace de Vie Enfantine (EVE), welcomed its first intake of infants. They included 16 children of members of the CERN personnel who are benefiting from the agreement signed in 2007 with the commune of Meyrin (see Bulletin n°43&44/2007). The crèche was officially inaugurated on 10 October with several CERN representatives in attendance, including HR Department Head, Enrico Chiaveri, and Head of the Relations with the Host States Service, Friedmann Eder. The following day, EVE held an open day for the inhabitants of Meyrin and interested members of the CERN personnel.

The new 1516 m2 building ‘s spaces have very clean and simple lines and basic furnishings that underline the elegance of the structure. The building is designed to be very functional: at the entrance is the office of the director, M. Franck Diaz, a room for pushchairs and a large multipurpose room for the children to play in, construct Wendy houses and dress up. In the kitchens, which open out on to the dining room, some 150 meals per day are prepared both for the children of EVE and for those of the crèche des Boudines.

In EVE, the commune of Meyrin has taken on a whole new approach to infant care. The children are split into six "vertical" or "multi-age" groups, each comprising infants aged from 4 months to four years. This pedagogical model, highly regarded in Canada and France, has recently been introduced in several small nurseries in Geneva. This mode of child-care is very enriching for the children and requires tremendous organisation on the part of the teams and adaptable space arrangement to meet the various requirements.

Due to the lack of carers on the employment market qualified to look after very young children, Meyrin’s crèche services have been obliged to revise the initial intake downwards. But Mrs Anne Kummer, who is in charge of crèche services, still hopes to be able to increase the number of staff at the beginning of next year.

For further information:

http://cern.ch/hr-services/Ben/Social/EVE.asp

Here are a few comments by parents:

" I’m grateful to the CERN Management and administration who have made it possible for us to obtain a place in a crèche. Childcare is at a premium in the region, and the rules which are applied for admission to the French crèches make it particularly difficult for CERN personnel to get places."

"The only drawback is the price. We are grateful that the organization is able to contribute to the cost of the 20 places currently available at EVE for users as well as CERN staff members."

"The premises are designed to satisfy the needs of child care for the very young."

"One can see that a lot of effort was put into the smallest details."

" I am very happy that my child can evolve in such a pleasant environment."

"The staff are enthusiastic and friendly."

"They combine utmost professionalism with genuine love and care for the kids."

"Grouping together children of different ages is a big challenge. I could not imagine how this would work, but now, when I see the babies watching fascinated as the older kids sing or play, I feel that they are part of a second family. This is probably especially meaningful to me and maybe other cernois, who are living far away from their own families."

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