GamaGarden is a corporate kindergarten of Gamania. The school provides preschool education for employee’s children with a vision of diversity and openness, together with a space that was designed based on children’s needs.
Founded in 2012, GamaGarden is the first corporate kindergarten in gaming industry after Taiwan’s regulation integrated kindergartens and nursery schools. In 2017, GamaGarden 2.0 is also the first kindergarten in Neihu Technology Park.
There are hundreds of enterprises in Neihu Technology Park, Gamania is the only company that established a corporate childcare center, following the original intention to take care of employees by offering a convenient childcare option for Gamanians.
The Original Intention of Founding a Corporate Kindergarten Which is Rarely Seen in Domestic Enterprises
As the head of HR, Linus remembered the moment he first sparked the idea 10 years ago. “We have been thinking of ways to elevate employee benefits. During that time, Gamania held Sports Day every year, and we noticed that more and more employees attended the event with kids. According to an internal survey conducted in 2011, over 100 employees had more than one young children.”
Linus put forward the bold proposal to establish a corporate kindergarten when hardly any companies in Taiwan did this, and received strong endorsement from Albert, the company CEO. Linus said, “Employees between 30 and 35 are the backbone of Gamania. They are senior professionals or first-line managers. When employees are burning the candle at both ends to balance work and family needs, we hope to ease their parenting stress by founding our own kindergarten.”
During that time, Gamania headquarter was in Zhonghe. With no kids and no clue about related regulations and required facilities to set up a kindergarten, Linus studied massive reference data, drove to every kindergarten within 15-minute driving distance, and even visited a tech company in Hsinchu to check out their childcare center.
With the active promotion from the company and integrated planning from HR department, the first generation of GamaGarden was established in 2012.
The Road to GamaGarden 2.0
The headquarter of Gamania moved to Neihu Technology Park from Zhonghe in 2016. Which means GamaGarden must also move at the same time.
“Moving GamaGarden was probably one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever encountered. The regulations of New Taipei and Taipei City are different, not to mention that we wanted to set up a kindergarten in a Technology Park. At that time, not a single organization in Neihu Technology Park had a company kindergarten.” Linus said
Based on the regulations, the competent authority stated that no kindergarten can be established in an industrial district, which is like a hurdle that cannot be jumped over. There are also strict rules regarding required facilities, such as outdoor activity area, teacher-student ratio, and size of space. With a wry smile on his face, Linus said, “It is nearly impossible to find another place for GamaGarden in Neihu, where the property price is astronomical.”
With the effort of both public sector and the company, GamaGarden was finally able to move from Zhonghe to its current location, which is at a building’s first floor with only 5-minute walk from the new
headquarter. Parents can look after their children within a short distance from their workplace.
In 2017, GamaGarden 2.0 was officially established with supports from all parties.
A Core Philosophy for Children’s Smiles
Since the establishment in 2012, the educational vision of GamaGarden has been “Learning through play, growing with joy.” The philosophy not only coincides with Gamania’s culture of “Love to Play,” it is also the best teaching approach that fits children’s nature in Gamania’s mindset.
Linus explained, “In GamaGarden, no children will be forced to learn Zhuyin or English. We let them decide what they want to do every day. One can choose to read quietly or play puzzle games. We believe learning through play is the most important educational focus.”
▲ In GamaGarden 2.0, children can stay in their favorite corner and choose what they want to learn.
Learning is not the mission only for kids, GamaGarden believes that parents must learn at the same time. “No one knows how to be a parent from day one, many have limited knowledge regarding preschool education. Thus, GamaGarden holds parenting courses from time to time. Employees are welcomed to attend no matter their kids are enrolled in GamaGarden or not, or even with no kids.”
In addition, Gamania emphasizes the relation between the company and GamaGarden. Such as Halloween parade, Christmas play, Chinese New Year pray, and performance on Family Day. Linus said with a smile, “When I was exhausted at work, seeing kids come trick or treating fills up endless energy for my heart.”
GamaGarden turns 10 years old this year. In Neihu Technology Park, there is a kindergarten that is full of vitality and laughter of children, it is not only the pride of Gamania, but also a safe place for Gamanians.
