Savings Banks are advocates of sustainable economic growth, both in Germany and beyond. In Frankfurt/Oder, for example, the
Savings Banks' German- Polish Cooperation Office supports enterprises on both sides of the border. This support was used by the
Fröbel Group, which runs day nurseries and after-school childcare centres.Children start to learn a second language as early as
possible at the nurseries and kindergartens of the Fröbel Group, a non-profit organisation that runs 140 childcare centres for
over 12,000 children. “That second language does not have to be English. In Frankfurt / Oder we apply a German-Polish concept,”
says Stefan Spieker, the organisation’s managing director. Expanding the successful model to Poland was a logical step for him.
“We want to learn from our neighbours and tap new potential.”
However, before the Fröbel Group opened its first kindergarten in Poznan in December 2014, it had to overcome a number of hurdles.
Germany is not the only country with strict laws and regulations for childcare facilities. Also in Poland, countless permits and
certificates are required to run a daycare centre. “Plus, we had to find the right partner in Poznan. The Savings Banks’ German-
Polish Cooperation Office helped us with all of that,” said Mr Spieker. Marta Sztelmach-Więcek’s team of bilingual experts not
only helped Fröbel to find the right banking account, but also recommended tax consultants and legal advice.
The most valuable assets for the Fröbel Group were the team’s extensive knowledge and their contacts in Poland. Mr Spieker
describes some of his struggles: “It is not easy to find an equivalent to our non-profit legal structure in other countries, so we
had to do a lot of rethinking.” The Savings Banks’ German-Polish Cooperation Office, a member of the international S-CountryDesk
network of the Savings Banks Finance Group, helped to negotiate many obstacles. This left Mr Spieker impressed with the “high
level of competence in international business displayed by the Savings Banks”, which, according to Mr Spieker, facilitated the
foundation of Froebel Polska.
Today, it’s child's play for Polish children to attend the Fröbel kindergarten in Poznan. The only thing that separates them from
the children at the kindergarten in Frankfurt/Oder is the distance of 180 kilometres – if they were to meet in a playground they
could communicate effortlessly, as their early bilingual education has lifted the language barrier.
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