Parents increasingly have to take their children to different nurseries. Due to staff shortages, there is no longer always enough days available at one location. Interest groups warn that “dragging around with children” can be bad for young children’s attachment.
Due to full crèches, children are increasingly only able to go to a daycare for one or a few days. Interest groups see that parents take their child to multiple locations, although the exact figures are missing.
“It is really something of the present,” says chairman Gjalt Jellesma of the Interest Association of Parents in Childcare (BOinK) to NU.nl. A spokesperson for the Childcare Branch Organization (BK) agrees that this is happening more and more.
‘I would ask for different working hours’
As far as Jellesma is concerned, “dragging around with children” is undesirable. “I understand the need of parents,” says the chairman. “But I would rather ask the boss for other working hours.”
Both BOinK and BK emphasize that the variety of environments is not good for young children. “Children have to bond,” says Jellesma. “Especially young children can only attach themselves to a limited number of people,” says the spokesperson for BK.
“For a child, each reception location is a completely different environment with different leaders, friends and girlfriends. That is quite a lot for children. The quality of the reception depends on stability,” says the BK spokesperson. “Due to the part-time culture in the Netherlands, children already see different pedagogical staff,” adds Jellesma. “Let alone if they also have to go to different locations.”
‘Not in the interests of employees either’
Moreover, these constructions are not in the interest of employees, says BK. “If they only see a child once a week, they have to start all over again.” A pedagogical employee who often sees and knows her children well, can respond to the different characters of children. Jellesma: “Some children prefer to go their own way, while others have to sit comfortably on their laps first. It takes time for employees to get to know those needs.”
He thinks it is not an easy time for pedagogical staff to work in the industry. “We are currently sacrificing a lot on quality. Even people who have just finished their education are going to work elsewhere.” According to Jellesma, they already experience too much pressure during their internship.
According to the BOinK chairman, there should be an exchange platform for parents who want to change childcare, for example because they move to the other side of the city. This way, children could immediately cross the street from the nursery. “That prevents you as a parent from being dependent on a planner who only looks at the availability at their own location.”
Krijg een melding bij nieuwe berichten
