Quality

We offer children a safe and nurturing home away from home. A place that feels secure, where friendships develop and where we build strong bonds with each other – not only amongst the children, but with their parents and our childcare practitioners as well. To us, quality is much more than just a certification. It means that children are genuinely valued and seen and their parents can go about their daily tasks in the knowledge that their children are in an environment that’s both safe and stimulating. And they can rely on our childcare practitioners to be there for them.
The Childcare Governance Code is a set of guidelines for honest and transparent management and internal supervision. The Code requires policies on, for example, openness, integrity, social responsibility and the roles of directors and management, the supervisory board and supervisors.
At Zo Kinderopvang we believe in the importance of good governance and wholeheartedly endorse the Childcare Governance Code. General manager and the management team organise contrasting views via the Works Council and the central parent committee. We test strategic resolutions with colleagues and clients and use these opinions to refine our policies. The Governance Code is executed by our parent organisation Samenwerkende Kinderopvang and the supervisory board.
Zo Kinderopvang has been an active member of the Dutch Childcare Sector Organisation for a number of years. We participate in various working groups and are involved in the continued development of the sector. Thanks to our active approach, we’re always up to speed with current developments.
A parent committee (PC) contributes to the quality of a childcare location. Every Zo Kinderopvang location has an active PC that meets with the location manager regularly to discuss day-to-day policy. The PC’s most important objective is to represent the parents and their interests in the best possible way. The way in which the PC operates is laid down in participation rules. Within each PC, we aim to achieve representation of all groups at the location.
Advisory role
The PC also plays an advisory role with respect to childcare quality. The committee has the right of consultation and even right of consent on a number of issues set down in childcare legislation. When decisions are made on these issues, the parent committee is given the opportunity to advise on them.
The PC has right of consent on the following:
- Execution of the quality policy relating to 1) the number of children per practitioner; 2) group sizes; 3) education requirements for staff and; 4) the use of staff-in-training
- Pedagogical policy
- Nutritional matters
- Health & safety risk assessment
- Opening hours
- Defining or amending a complaints procedure and appointing members of the complaints committee
- Changes to rates
Central parent committee
The PC chairperson from each location is a representative in the central parent committee (CPC). This committee consults with management and constitutes the advisory body for all matters relating to the central organisational policy. The CPC also serves as an important sounding board for the parent committees, for example for exchanging information and for determining whether any bottlenecks that may arise are an issue throughout the organisation or just at a specific location.
Would you like to join the committee?
Would you like to be a member of the parent committee? Let your location manager know.
At Zo Kinderopvang, we are committed to providing the best childcare every day. We believe this can only be achieved through collaboration with parents, with a focus on open communication and sharing experiences. However, things can go wrong sometimes. Complaints or signs of dissatisfaction offer valuable insights that help us improve our services.
Zo Kinderopvang conducts a quarterly analysis of officially recorded complaints. The results are discussed internally to identify trends and recurring issues. If necessary, improvement measures are identified and implemented based on these insights, with the goal of continuously improving the quality of care and services.
If you, as a parent (or external stakeholder), are dissatisfied with something, we would greatly appreciate it if you would discuss this as soon as possible with the person who is or was involved. If it concerns a situation in the group, this is often the pedagogical professional or the location manager. If it concerns a contract or terms and conditions, this will be an employee of the servicebureau. If you cannot resolve the issue together or are not satisfied with the solution, you can file an internal complaint with our complaints officer.
You can find our complete complaints procedure here.