The founders of globegarden in conversation

Christina Mair, Kristina Rebsamen and Caroline Staehelin founded globegarden in 2009 and still lead the childcare network today, together with the seven-member executive management team. A conversation about the early days, about their teams and about what it takes to run a company as a trio. The conversation took place in October 2026.

Why did you found globegarden?

Christina: Because of a study we couldn't stop thinking about. In 2007, the economist Monika Bütler showed that for many mothers in Switzerland, going to work barely paid off. We saw exactly that among the people around us: well-educated women who couldn't find a daycare place, or whose salary went almost entirely on childcare. We felt that was unfair.

Kristina: For me, something else came into it as well. I had previously helped build a school in South Africa and had seen what a good place for children can achieve. When the three of us sat down together, the idea quickly became clear.

Caroline: I have always loved being around children. As a teenager, I did a lot of babysitting and tutoring. I started my studies in medicine, and that's when I realized how much is decided in the first years of life: language, trust, the joy of learning. In exactly these years, children need a place where they feel safe and are encouraged to grow. Creating a place like that was something very close to my heart.

What were the early days like?

Kristina: Intense. During the day we also helped out in the groups, and in the evenings we did the administration until midnight. Once I was there for a child's settling-in and fell asleep on the sofa with the child. The child was tired from playing, I was tired from working.

Christina: And not everything worked right away. In one of our first daycare centers, something had gone wrong during construction with the drains of the little children's toilets, and they kept overflowing. Until the fault was fixed, the three of us were often standing there with a bucket and brush. Since then, we look very closely at every renovation.

Kristina: We furnished the first centers ourselves, together with the construction teams. Unpacking boxes, assembling furniture, and in the evening we sat among the cardboard boxes, ate pizza and were proud of what we had created with our own hands. To this day, a construction site is my favorite place to be.

What have you learned from your teams?

Christina: More than any parenting book could teach me. When my children were small, I often asked our educators for advice when one of them wouldn't sleep or suddenly said no to everything. Our caregivers have shaped me a great deal as a mother.

Kristina: I admit it: I bought the same toys for home as we have in our daycare centers. If our teams know so well what helps children develop, my own children should benefit too.

Caroline: From the women in our daycare centers, I learned what warmth and down-to-earth common sense can achieve together. They stay calm when things get hectic, find the right tone for every child and a practical solution for every problem. That has shaped me as a mother and as a leader. In childcare, managing a center was long the highest level you could reach. With us, it goes further: into area or regional management, into leading a specialist department, or into responsibility for quality or safety. With every step, income grows too. For many of our center managers, their salary is today the most important income in their family. When I see how these women develop with us, with children of their own and with so much heart for other families' children, I simply feel proud.

Did your own children attend a globegarden daycare center?

Christina: Yes, all our children grew up in our daycare centers.

Caroline: And we noticed: even when you know the team well and know every routine, saying goodbye in the morning is hard when you are handing over your own child. We would encourage each other. And our caregivers were always very kind to us: "It'll be fine."

What has surprised you over the years?

Christina: How many fathers bring their children. And when it comes to strollers, the discussions sound like buying a car; some models even have names like sports cars. Later, many fathers take over driving the children to soccer or music lessons. Families have changed a great deal over these years, and we are glad to see it.

You have led globegarden as a trio since 2009. How does that work?

Kristina: To this day we share one office, and very deliberately so. It keeps communication short and decisions quick. Someone is always coming in, and everyone immediately knows what's going on. Sometimes, of course, we discuss things for a long time, until one of us says: "Right, you two, I'll sort this out now." But all three of us are always in it with our whole heart.

Christina: We also complement each other well. I have absolutely no sense of direction. I even get lost in buildings I know. I don't have a car either. So when we look at new locations, Kristina is behind the wheel, explaining where the highway comes from and which route parents take in the morning. I nod very convincingly. Luckily, she chooses the locations, not me.

Caroline: On the other hand, Christina and I are not quite as particular about tidying up as Kristina. We go by the saying attributed to Einstein: If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what then is an empty desk a sign of?

Christina: When we founded the company, someone told us: "Now you're married." That wasn't entirely wrong. My husband laughs every time I come home on a Friday evening and the first thing I say is: "I just need to call Caro or Kristina quickly, we didn't have any time to talk today."

What would you like to pass on to parents?

Christina: Our anniversary book is called "Brave, not perfect". The title applies to us too. Things didn't always go to plan for us either, neither at home nor at work. What helped was talking about it openly, helping each other and sometimes laughing at ourselves.

Caroline: One thought has often comforted me as a mother: children are a bit like the weather. When they are going through a difficult phase, when a child sleeps badly, has tantrums or cries at drop-off in the morning, what they need most is a lot of love and a little patience. Often the sun is shining again after just a few days.

Kristina: And trust your child to do things. As a mother of twins, I had to learn that myself. At home, both of them usually wanted exactly the same shovel, and right now. Every time, I wanted to step in and settle it. Yet children often sort things like that out surprisingly well on their own, and are really proud afterwards. These small experiences make them strong for life.

What do you wish for the next generation of families?

Kristina: That every child has a place where they feel safe and secure.

Caroline: That the people who care for children get the recognition they deserve.

Christina: And that parents don't have to choose between career and family. Not mothers, and not fathers.

For facts and figures about globegarden, see “globegarden at a Glance”. How it all began: "The Story of globegarden".