For Melvin, father of three-year-old Milan, it is clear: Wiedewei Maasdam is more than just a daycare. “He learns so much there, it is really a valuable addition to the education at home,” he says with satisfaction. Milan was three months old when he went to daycare for the first time. Milan now knows every corner of the discovery garden, has regular friends and loves the pedagogical staff.
At home, but just around the corner
Wiedewei Maasdam is just twenty metres from their home, but this practicality was certainly not the only reason Melvin and his wife chose Wiedewei. “We scheduled a tour and were immediately impressed by what they had to offer,” he explains. “The focus on being outdoors, playing together, the separate baby and toddler groups and the healthy hot meal at lunchtime: it felt good straight away. We knew this would be the place where Milan would feel at home.”
Hole in the sky
That first impression now, three years later, still seems to be completely correct. “From day one we noticed how involved the pedagogical staff are,” says Melvin. “They know Milan as a person, know what he likes and what he needs. Milan goes to Wiedewei three days a week and never reluctantly. In fact: when we tell him in the morning that he can go to the children again, he jumps for joy!”, laughs Melvin.
Raise your finger
Melvin says that Wiedewei is not only a place where Milan enjoys going, but also a place where he is developing fully: “We especially notice that Milan does very well in groups. He is used to social etiquette. So not talking over someone, but just raising your hand. Or letting someone go first in a game or on the slide. Of course, he sometimes doesn't feel like it or doesn't pay attention to it, he is still a toddler, but the fact that he knows it and can apply it shows us how he is growing in his social development.”
Farmer Milan
At Wiedewei Maasdam Milan is not only growing in what he can do, but also in who he is. “And the fact that he is outside all day is great for him,” says Melvin. “We recently received a photo of Milan behind a wheelbarrow via the parent portal. He was really proud, like farmer Milan, with his own piece of land. We decided to buy a wheelbarrow at home too and that turned out to be a bull’s eye. Collecting leaves, shoveling sand and transporting his things: he now walks around our garden with it just as proudly as he did at Wiedewei. It’s great to see how the things he learns at Wiedewei continue at home.”
