Opening hours

Dikkedeur is open from 7.30 until 18.30.

The first care (till 8.00) and the last (from 18.00) take place in a joint group.

From 8.00 to 9.00 you can bring your child to his own individual group (‘stamgroep’) with a regular pedagogic crew. After 9.00 o’clock the daily activities/ program can start without being interrupted. From 17.00 you can pick up your child.

Dikkedeur is open during 51 weeks a year. We will be closed on public holidays and on the annual teamday (‘teamdag’), as well as between Christmas and New-year. Before the start of a new year you receive an up-to-date list of important dates, including the days Dikkedeur is closed.

Flexible care

Dikkedeur offers care on fixed days. This way, you can always rely on the availability of the days of your preference and Dikkedeur can take care of a long-term planning. However, if needed you can bring your child on a different day and swap a day or ask for an extra day, occasionally.

Swapping a care-day is only an option in case of emergency. You have to work on a different day than usual because of an issue at work, for instance. Swapping a day is then possible, unless the number of children that day exceeds the standard permitted by law.

Parents who want to swap days need to contact the pedagogic crew of a group. Unfortunately, in weeks containing a public holiday changing days is not possible.

When the size of the group allows it you can ask for an extra day. The cost for this care will be charged according the applicable daily rate.

If your work requires irregular hours/days you might need a more complex arrangement. We always try to find a way to meet your needs, within certain boundaries. The well-being of the child and the functioning of the groups determine these boundaries. Meeting your needs might involve extra costs per hour.

Primary caretaker

At Dikkedeur your child will be appointed a ’zorgleidster’. This zorgleidster is the key figure for your child and your principal contact. She is responsible for the care of your child in every respect, and creates a base for secure attachment. The zorgleidster nurtures your child and changes his diaper, puts him to bed, comforts and cuddles him and gradually recognises your child’s signals, which enables her to attune to his needs. The days you bring your child match the days the zorgleidster works. When she happens to fall ill, be on holiday or is absent for any other reason a second pedagogic employee takes over. This ‘reserve caretaker’ is a vast member of the pedagogic crew and thus familiar with your child.

Monitoring children

At Dikkedeur every child matters. This means that we ensure each child to be known: where he stands, what he is capable of and how he experiences the world. For that reason our pedagogic employees work with the Dikkedeur-kindvolgsysteem (a systematic way to follow the development of children).

Part of the Dikkedeur kindvolgsysteem is the periodic child-observation. The zorgleidster will observe your child during his infancy and later as toddler using a systemized observation-list with all the developmental- areas and stages. You will receive a report based on these observations, which the zorgleidster will talk you through. Subsequently, the zorgleidster sets a few simple goals she wants to realise with your child, which she lists in a ‘Kindplan’ (a small scheme). As stated before, every child matters. Hence a Kindplan will be made for each child, not just for children with striking behaviour. Meanwhile, the zorgleidster keeps track of your child’s responses to activities and the progress he makes. She does so on a so-called ‘list of development’. In order to meet their needs more precisely, children with a similar development or kindplan are offered well-tuned activities in a small group. Activities related to development are not randomly chosen, but selected using an activity-planner. In this planner the developmental areas and ages of the children are categorised, with a fitting and challenging range of activities each day of the week, varying weekly. No developmental area is being left out.

Finally, each child at Dikkedeur receives a ‘groeiboek’ (growthbook), which describes everyday things, events, particularities your child encounters. In this groeiboek you can see your child’s growth and development. A wonderful document for later! When your child leaves Dikkedeur you receive the observation reports and groeiboek in a nice folder to take home.

Warm meals

Healthy food is important and having a hot meal as lunch is delightful. Every day the children are eager to start lunch and see what food is on the table today. There is always a vegetarian variety and both allergies and religion are taken into account. You do need to be a little older to participate with the warm meals, starting from elder toddlerhood. The younger toddlers (in the vertical group, 0 to 3 years) didn’t appreciate that and wanted to join in. For that reason the younger toddlers now join the others in their group. In amazement, parents see their children at Dikkedeur having a good feat, using little forks, sit quietly at the table, and so on, things that takes a lot of effort at home.

Our warm meals benefit you too: you can now decide whether you want to cook a meal at home or not!

Or just prepare a grownup meal with your partner later in the evening and serve your children bread for diner. If you do, however, still want to eat a nice warm meal with your child every night that is not a problem: eating a warm meal twice a day doesn’t hurt at all! A dietician has ensured Dikkedeur that, if the quality and quantity are properly synchronised, no one gets fat from two hot meals.

Dikkedeur uses a caterer who prepares freshly made meals every day and delivers them at Dikkedeur. This caterer meets the strictest standards of the HACCP, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority for preparing meals. They always use fresh and healthy ingredients.

When confronted with considerations of quality Dikkedeur always puts the child first, but this can cut both ways, as is the case with hot meals. Especially since Dikkedeur offers them as a service without billing any extra for the costs that come with it.

Health and exercise

Dikkedeur puts a lot of effort in exercising and stimulates a healthy growth.

Healthy food of course is essential: daily fresh fruit, no food from a jar and a warm meal prepared with fresh and healthy ingredients. If you would like to treat the group for your child’s birthday you can find some appealing ideas about a healthy treat at Dikkedeur’s treat-folder.

Health also means a lot of fresh air, a lot of green and a lot of exercise. The outdoor play areas of Dikkedeur are green, made to look like mini-parks with a variety of playground equipment. Inside, each group is directly ventilated with fresh air.

The importance of exercise at a young age is self-explanatory. Dikkedeur has several supplementary areas that children of all groups can use: gymnasia and smaller rooms with a trampoline and sand-table for instance. The pedagogic employees often go outside with the children to play (at least twice a day), both at the own outdoor play area and nearby play areas, playground, play-farm and the zoo.