Pedagogy & development

We support your child’s development through play, interaction and working with themes. Think of activities that contribute to language development, motor skills and social growth.

Everything we do is tailored to your child’s age and stage of development, so they can grow in a safe and playful way.

Each IJsterk location works from its own educational vision. Examples include approaches such as Emmi Pikler, Montessori, Startblokken and nature-based pedagogy.

On each location’s page, you can read which vision is used there and how it works in practice. What all locations have in common is a development-oriented way of working: children learn by playing, exploring and gaining experience in a safe and stimulating environment.

We create a familiar and safe environment by working with consistent, familiar faces in every group. This helps children build bonds and feel emotionally secure.

We also provide a clear daily structure, and our childcare professionals offer personal attention and a warm, stimulating environment in which every child can develop at their own pace.

Learning to handle emotions and conflict is part of growing up. We support children through this by responding with sensitivity and putting words to what they’re feeling.

We help children understand their emotions and support them in finding a way to deal with them that suits their needs and age.

We encourage independence by actively involving children in activities. They’re given the space to make their own choices, explore and gradually do more by themselves.

A recognisable daily rhythm helps with this and gives children the confidence to act independently.

We track your child’s development through daily observation and use what we see to shape our activities.

Key milestones are recorded in the child monitoring system KIJK!, so we can follow your child’s growth closely.

There are set moments for parent meetings. Before care starts, there’s an introductory meeting. Around two months after the start, there’s a follow-up evaluation.

We also schedule a meeting around your child’s birthday and when they transition to the next group.

We’ll always discuss this with you. Together, we’ll look at what your child needs and how we can best support their development.

Yes, we work with external partners, including specialists and professionals who contribute to children’s development.

You can find more information about this in the educational policy plan of the location.

Our approach is development-oriented and helps children build the skills they need for primary school step by step.

We encourage independence, social skills, language and concentration through play, with activities that match each child’s age and stage of development.

IJsterk aims to be a place where every child feels welcome and seen. We take into account different backgrounds, home situations and needs, and create an environment where every child can be themselves.

We also believe that daycare should be accessible to everyone. That’s why we work with schemes such as the stadspas, which makes daycare more affordable for more families.