Pedagogical vision
Alongside their parents, we want to guide children on their way to adulthood and to prepare them for a future as citizens of the world. We aim to supply them with the right ingredients to develop into people who are comfortable with themselves, who know their talents, who want to continue developing and make a positive contribution to society. By stimulating a healthy lifestyle, an open and interested attitude and a sense of community and co-responsibility for themselves and their environment, we empower children to grow together but at their own pace.
Our starting point for this is always the signularity of each particular age group, with key concepts as safe bonding, the sensitive responsiveness of adults, playing, trying things themselves, fun, creativity and humour.
At Zo Kinderopvang, children develop by playing together in an environment that challenges them and stimulates their interests. They do this under the supervision of our childcare practitioners who encourage them towards behaviour they’re not yet capable of, but will be able to achieve with a little help. With challenging activities, we spend time on all areas of development and advance their skills through play. We also expand their moral competence: the transfer of values and standards.
Our pedagogical policy is inspired by educational psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), educator Maria Montessori (1870-1952) and paediatrician Emmi Pikler (1902-1984), among others.
We believe it’s important to have trusted staff in front of the group; faces that are familiar to the children. This aids good bonding and emotional security, creating a safe climate for each and every child to develop optimally.
With a daily routine that aligns with the children’s needs, our childcare practitioners create the structure the children require. They give the children positive direction and always set a good example. The children learn from this every day.
Our childcare practitioners understand what children need, with the result that they feel seen and heard while developing trust in the practitioner and in themselves. Our staff undertake ongoing education on this, for example using interactive video guidance.
Good health is the foundation of good development. That’s why we ensure that the children get plenty of exercise, fresh air, sufficient ventilation, healthy meals and good hygiene.
We take the children outside every day, not just for fresh air but also to explore the outside world. There’s a lot more space outside and there’s a whole different range of things to experience. Our gardens and outdoor spaces are designed for adventure, with many natural elements. Outdoors we experiment with materials such as sand and water. At after school care we go a bit further afield to explore the neighbourhood or the city.
At Zo Kinderopvang we know how important nature is to us and to the world. That’s why we believe you’re never too young to learn about the importance of sustainability. We instil children with awareness of the world around them from an early age and teach them how to respectfully interact with nature.
We can only grow good relationships with children if we have good relationships with their parents. For this reason, our childcare practitioners and parents work together to foster the children’s development at home as well as in childcare. Discussing your child’s development with you enables us to respond accordingly in the group and to make you a part of what your child experiences at childcare. We update each other at pick-up and drop-off times, at parent-teacher meetings, at the parents’ evening and through messages on our parent portal.
Every location has a parent committee (PC) that represents all the parents at a specific location and has their interests at heart. In addition, every location has its own pedagogical policy and implementation plan. As a parent, you have the right to contribute to the content of this plan.
At Zo Kinderopvang we use a number of different child monitoring systems to monitor each child’s development. They enable us to improve our collaboration with you and keep you actively involved in what happens at childcare. We work with three systems.
- My Profile, developed by the Flemish educationalist and professor Ferre Laevers
- My Passport, developed in-house
- KIJK! for children in pre-school and early years education (VVE)
What do we monitor? We keep track of how your child is feeling in themselves and how engaged they are in their play. Strong involvement and ability to concentrate are drivers of childhood development.
Every location has its own pedagogical implementation plan, but we also have an overarching vision on pedagogy. This is outlined in the policy for each childcare option.
- Daycare (0 to 4 years)
- Pre-school care (2 to 4 years)
- After school care (4 to 12 years)
