Süddeutsche Zeitung – the Munich-based company Kids Concept offers a very special kind of childcare in Munich. Heidi Hille is 53 years old and decided to give up her job as a geriatric nurse for a career change. ‘It’s something completely different, whether you’re bedding down a frail senior or helping lively, beaming children get dressed,’ Ms Hille enthuses, describing her new role as a ‘rented grandmother’ – a trend that has developed into a real boom in Munich. Julian is 18 months old and lives in Fürstenfeldbruck; both his parents work, and he looks forward to his daily hours with ‘Grandma Heidi.’ Heidi Hille is there five days a week and looks after Julian for three hours. ‘A role that not only fulfils me, but also gives me the feeling that I’m doing something truly meaningful,’ explains Ms Hille. She found Kids Concept, a Grünwald-based company specialising in childcare placement, while searching online for a new role, applied for the ‘rented grandmother’ position, and was accepted; the company’s database already includes more than 50 rented grandmothers, and more are still being sought. ‘Rented grandmothers are an appealing alternative to conventional childcare in the form of a childminder,’ explains Tobias Dreilich, managing director of Kids Concept. They are not required to have specific training or state certification – ‘what counts here is life experience and simply being a grandmother,’ says Dreilich, and they are not responsible for upbringing, generally working away from home and visiting families in their own homes. Asked where this trend comes from, Dreilich explains: ‘In these difficult times, it often happens that families break apart, or the distance to the grandparents is simply too great. The rented grandmother is an adequate substitute that also adds value for the child on a social level – getting to know and work with several generations together. The shortage of caregivers and after-school places has also contributed to this development; the gaps in care are an economic disaster for families, and so the rented grandmother is an inviting alternative.’ Eva Böhler, a Kids Concept customer, also discovered this alternative for herself, preferring a woman with life experience and maturity over a student; she now has a rented grandmother who comes twice a week and energetically and lovingly supports her and her children. Heide Hille, the Kids Concept caregiver, still supports Julian and his family, and is happy to have found her way into this new role.
