That’s why many of them are part of the Jena Alliance for family. Its goal is to help parents to coordinate family and career and at the same time promote family-friendly company policies to employers. In May 2009, the alliance celebrated the 3rd anniversary of its foundation. They also took part in the national day of action “Time for family”.

Family friendly – in Jena, this means for example:

•    more than 50 daycare centres and, if employed, a legal entitlement to a spot in one starting at 13 months child’s age
•    child minders and the professional placement of flexible care opportunities through the Jena centre of family and single-parents
•    comprehensive information about all care opportunities within the Jena project “Big city for small people”
•    Event and class offers to facilitate the social interaction for partners
•    Open discussion about “dual career” to integrate partners of employees
•    Many cultural offers for Jena rookies to get to know the both tradition-rich and modern city

Many Jena companies have established flexible working hour models. There are comeback programmes for young mothers, home-office-arrangements, and in some institutions also internal care rooms for children. The latter can be found at the SCHOTT company in Jena, which was certified “family friendly company” by the Hertie-foundation.

The Jena universities also know about the importance of family. The Friedrich Schiller University is one of eight universities of Germany appointed into the “best practice-Club Families at University”. You can learn more about that on the webpage of the university’s family’s portal.

The Jena alliance for family is one of the most active family alliances in Germany. Many of its members know out of own experiences about the importance of family. Their commitment and success got around quite a bit. Federal president Horst Köhler and federal minister for families Ursula von der Leyen have already visited the Jena alliance to learn, why in Jena of all places the compatibility of career and family works so well.