Pedagogical policy plan
Do you run a childcare organisation, for instance a childcare centre, childminding agency, or playgroup, in the Netherlands? You must have a pedagogical policy plan. In this plan you set out your views on how to interact with children in your childcare organisation. Your professional carers must comply with this plan.
How to make a policy plan
There are a number of subjects you should address in your plan. You need to describe how you offer responsible daycare. This applies to:
- daycare
- out-of-school care
- childminding agencies
Other subjects that should be addressed depend on the kind of care offered.
You have to adopt the pedagogical policy plan (in Dutch) before submitting an application for registration in the National Childcare Register (landelijk Register Kinderopvang, LRK) with the municipal authorities.
The pedagogical policy plan should always be up-to-date. If anything changes in your organisation, you should adapt the plan.
Responsible daycare
You should describe how you offer responsible daycare. This has to be addressed in every policy plan. You clearly state how childcarers and childminders:
- treat children respectfully and in a way they feel safe and secure
- help children develop through play
- support children and teach them social skills
- encourage children to get to know the shared values of society
These are the 4 objectives that form the basis of your pedagogical policy plan. The other topics that you must include in your plan vary depending on the type of childcare.
Policy plan for childcare centres
Next to the 4 basic objectives in your plan, you must address at least the following pedagogical subjects (in Dutch):
- how the development of the children is monitored and stimulated
- how mentorship is organised, and how often and in what way the mentor discusses the child's progress with the parents
- how you refer parents to other organisations if there are problems with the child's development
- the working procedure, maximum size, and age structure of the basic groups
- how many childcare workers you have per group, depending on the childcarer-child ratio, and what their usual shifts and break times are
- how you let the parents and the child know who is the allocated mentor
- how you let children get used to a new group
- how the child's development will progress once it starts going to school and after-school care
- how you can pass on information about the child to school or after-school care with their parents' consent
If relevant to your situation, your policy plan should also contain information about:
- how you deal with deviating from the familiar-face criterion
- during which activities the children can leave the group or room
- rules for childcare on additional days
- the tasks of the trainees and volunteers, and how they are supervised
- how you offer childcare in other languages
The pedagogic professional has to make sure the pedagogical policy plan is implemented. However, you as an owner are responsible.
Policy plan for after-school care
A policy plan for after-school care should contain the following information:
- how you provide responsible daycare
- how a mentor discusses information about the child's development with the parents
- how you refer parents to other organisations if there are problems with the child's development
- the working procedure, maximum size, and age structure of the group
- how you let children get used to a new group
If relevant to your situation, it should also contain the following information:
- how you deal with times that the minimum required amount of childcarers are not present
- during which activities children can leave the group
- rules around additional after-school care
- how you handle activities with over 30 children
- the tasks of trainees and volunteers and how they are supervised
- how you offer after-school care in other languages
As the owner, you are responsible for the implementation of the policy plan.
Policy plan for childminding agencies
Do you have a childminding agency? Then you should include the following in your plan:
- the composition of the group of children cared for by a childminder
- how your childminders offer responsible daycare
- the requirements for the place where daycare is provided (childcare facilities)
The home where childminding care is provided must have sufficient space for children to play and sleep in and sufficient outdoor play facilities, geared to the number and ages of the children in the childminder’s care.
You should inform your childminders about the pedagogical policy plan. Your childminders should implement the plan. You must also inform the parents about what is included in your policy plan.
Member of staff to implement pedagogic policy plan
Childcare organisations must employ or hire a member of staff responsible for implementing the pedagogical policy and coaching each childcare professional once a year. This member of staff also assists the professional childcare workers in their day-to-day activities. The number of hours this pedagogic professional works hands-on in the group with children, counts towards the professional childcarer-child ratio. The pedagogic professional must be employed for an obligatory minimum number of hours. Use this online tool to calculate how many hours your childcare centre requires (in Dutch). You must record how many hours of pedagogic coaching each childcare professional receives.
Period of validity
The pedagogical policy plan must always be up-to-date. If there are any changes in circumstances or insights at your childcare facility with regard to matters addressed in the pedagogical policy plan, you must modify the plan accordingly. Do you have a parents' committee? They have the right to advise you on your plan.
Multilingual childcare
You may offer childcare in German, English, or French up to 50% per day (in Dutch). If you offer childcare in these languages, your policy plan must address:
- how and when these other languages will be spoken
- how this helps the child’s language development
- how you ensure that each child feels safe, heard, and understood when these languages are spoken
- which of your employees offer multilingual childcare, on which days, and at what times
- how you replace your multilingual staff members when they are absent