Bringing your child to daycare for the first time can be quite exciting! It can therefore be nice to hear how other parents experience this. Carlijn tells you her experience with childcare at Wiedewei Paddewei in Barendrecht, where her son Otis plays.
“Otis has been going to the green shelter at Wiedewei Paddewei every week on Tuesdays and Fridays since January 2021. During the tour we had a very nice feeling about this establishment. In fact, we quickly agreed that Wiedewei Paddewei would be a suitable daycare for Otis. We were happy that there was a place for him!”
A nice feeling at the reception
“Beforehand it felt a bit uncomfortable to take our child to the daycare because mom and dad have to work. But now we look at it very differently. We see the benefits of learning to play together with other children, learn new things and grow in a different environment. Otis likes it there and above all feels comfortable and 'at home'. We find that very important!”
The small-scale shelter with a green character
“At Wiedewei, the children spend a lot of time outside in the beautifully maintained garden, which we think is a real plus. This is really distinctive compared to other reception locations we went to look at. This location also has small groups, divided by age group of 0 – 1 year and 1 – 3 years. Because the location is not that big, the little ones come into contact with the other groups before they transfer to the new group. We can imagine that the transition to a new group is therefore less significant!”
Sleeping outside at the shelter, we thought it was a good idea!
“At Wiedewei it is possible for the children to sleep outside, because of the proven positive health effects this produces. We understand the thinking behind it and thought it was a good idea. That's why we gave Otis permission to sleep outside. In addition, we are confident that the pedagogical staff have a good sense of whether a child is ready. Otis had to get used to the shelter during the first few weeks. He only went to sleep outside when the pedagogical staff had gotten to know him well and thought he was ready.”
Loving care and attention from the pedagogical staff
“Another reason to go to Wiedewei Paddewei is the pedagogical staff. They are so sweet and caring! It is very nice that they really look at what every child needs. They try to keep to the rhythm of home as much as possible. Does something change in the rhythm? Then they adjust this too. This gives Otis peace and regularity, something we also like very much. Of course it can sometimes deviate, because there are more children and sometimes things turn out differently. But their approach is really to go along with the rhythm of home. Furthermore, the pedagogical staff do many creative activities with all children, no matter how small they are! It's comforting to leave Otis with them. He always has a smile on his face when he sees them again.”
