Preschool is a place where kids of ages 2 to 4 can play and learn. There is a special programme. This is called preschool education (voorschoolse educatie). At preschool extra attention is paid to the development of toddlers. This way they are better prepared for the transition from group 1 to primary school.
Employees are educated to help toddlers with their development. They practice language, counting, movement and how to interact with others. They pay special attention to every child, making sure to note what is going well and where some extra help might be needed. Their approach to educating and guiding your child is adapted to your child's specific needs.
Every group is supervised by 2 employees for a maximum of 16 toddlers. This way, every child can receive proper attention. You will regularly be told how your child is doing and what they learned and did at preschool.
Levi, father of Ezra (age 3), speaks about how he, as a parent, sees the developments that his child is going through at preschool.
“My son Ezra learned how to play together with other children at preschool. We noticed that his language also improved a lot, because his teachers paid extra attention to him. The transition to primary school went very well. Ezra was already used to the rhythm of going to preschool 4 times a week for a few hours. He was familiar with the activities and listening to the teacher. He learned a lot through play.”
All toddlers are welcome at preschool. For some toddlers, it is important that they go to preschool. That is because, for example, they risk developing an educational disadvantage when it comes to their language skills. For toddlers like this, preschool can help a lot.
These toddlers can apply for a VVE-indicatie. This is advice for parents to register their child for preschool. With a VVE-indicatie, your child can go to preschool for a maximum of 16 hours per week.
Would you like to know if your child can apply for a VVE-indicatie? Then please contact the health clinic here (in Dutch).
Toddlers can learn a lot at home as well. The staff will happily give you tips on what you can practice with your child together at home. There is also a special "Learning through play home programme" (in Dutch) of De Schoor. With this, you can work with some extra games and books that perfectly meet the needs of your child and their education at preschool.
Are you curious to see what a day at preschool might look like? Every day offers fixed times where you can do so. Think of eating and drinking, activities or playing together. After a couple of times, your child will know exactly what they can expect.
Mona talks about what she does at preschool.
“We work with kids in a group, where we help them with their development and encourage them to learn new things. This helps give a child more confidence. They are less afraid to play along with others, less hesitant to share their thoughts, and also grow in their interaction with their classmates. An important component is that your child is in a group setting, but that there is also ample space to split up in smaller groups or even receive one-on-one education. We provide what best suits the needs of your child. The transition to primary school is also a lot easier, because these children have already learned so much. They practised language, counting, motor skills and how to interact with others.”