A parent-run crèche, or crèche parentale, is a structure that provides day care for children from the ages of 2 months to 4 years. Parent investment is key to ensuring successful operations, because they:
But above all, a parent-run crèche is a rewarding opportunity for parents and childcare professionals to work together with their children. Due to the fact that there are only a small number of places, and thanks to the parents’ strong involvement in the structure’s daily life, the crèche parentale is a perfect place for children to grow in a social environment.
Welcome to Giving Tree!
I am french/Italian and my wife is French/Swis, so we were incredibly happy to find a bilingual crèche that could welcome our daughter in a harmonious, stimulating and home-like environment. The pillars of Giving Tree – multiculturalism, environmental awareness and Montessori approach – were very important to us, and it’s been fantastic to discover how these values are truly embedded in the life of the crèche. Most importantly, our daughter is absolutely loving every moment of it!
A parental crèche is a bigger commitment than other daycare options, but I can assure you it’s very rewarding as well. Not only do you get to actively participate in your child’s daily environment – even catching peaks of the children’s interactions during your permanence, which is priceless! – but you also manage to form a stronger bond with other parents, as well as with staff, as you decide the way forward together.
If this sounds like something you want for your kid and for you as parents, then we look forward to meeting you!
A word from the Founder
Born in Canada to British parents and raised in Boston USA, I returned to Canada to gain a Masters in International Relations from the University of Laval, Quebec and now live in Strasbourg with my husband, son and daughter. I started the Giving Tree project because I strongly believe that children should be open to languages and different cultures, all in a natural, home-like environment. With the help of the European Social Fund I directed the project until its opening in June 2013 and was president until 2018.
Giving Tree is a unique place where parents partake in their child’s daily exploration alongside a dynamic professional team. I particularly like cooking and watering my herb garden especially with the help of little hands!
I adhere to the philosophy that if you respect children, create an open, safe and caring environment for them to explore, you will be happily surprised; for where you thought to have nurtured only a seed, a forest may grow.
Le soleil flamboie tout ce qui croît
Sur les enfants, les arbres et les mots tendres
Se cache dans tout ce qui est en résonance
De l’enfant, la future croissance
Ne les forcez pas, ne leur donnez pas d’ordres,
Donnez-leur la forme comme un mirroir,
Comme le rêve, le jeu est éternel,
Enseignez-leur à être libres par le jeu.
– Halfdan Rasmussen 1972
