Child Care

The childcare area is a unique service nationwide in a convention center, a proposal launched to promote work-family balance and offer congress attendees the opportunity to attend events with their children

HOW IT WORKS

Children from 0 to 12 years of age are welcomed in a specially set up room inside Padua Congress Center throughout the duration of the congress. A colorful, “warm”, safe and welcoming environment, in the same structure that hosts the congresses, a protected place where parents can leave their children, but at the same time stay in touch with them during the breaks of the different sessions.

The nursery space dedicated to the 0-3 age group, equipped with a changing table and other facilities dedicated to the little ones, is next to the kids’ area for children over 3 years old and a cinema room for screenings.

THE PROPOSAL

The activities are run by a company specialized in education services with expert staff, appointed by Padua Congress Center, and include thematic workshops - from painting to creative activities - as well as playtime also in the open air, in the facility's outdoor spaces. Children are also offered lunch.

The child care service will be run by operators able to speak English, German, Spanish, and Italian. Other languages might be possibile but they will require a specific agreements and the actual availability of an operator able to speak that language.

HOW TO ACCESS THE SERVICE

The service is available - for a fee (depending on sponsors) - to all SIGIR 2025 attendees who request it. For more information on how it works, how to join and costs, send a request to the email address sigir2025-childcare@dei.unipd.it.

The access will require a registration (more details soon).

PADOVA CONGRESS FOR SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

The childcare area is a proposal to support work-life balance that stems from the demand of the MICE sector and the challenge of making Padua Congress Center an increasingly inclusive and sustainable space by favoring participation in events by parents, who in this way are encouraged to come to the city in the company of their families.

EXPERIENCES

The service was first proposed in July 2024 at the EAS - European Astronomical Society congress thanks to the sponsorship of Inaf (National Institute of Astrophysics) as part of the European Union's Gender Equality Plan.

The initiative was highly appreciated and immediately met with great success, with more than 20 registrations from parents arriving from all over the world.