KRALENDIJK – The quality of childcare in the Caribbean Netherlands must be further improved in order to meet the requirements of the island ordinances and the future legal requirements in the KO-BES Act.

This is the conclusion of a study conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The locations in which childcare is offered are at the beginning of a process to further improve quality. The researchers note that a great deal is being done to improve quality.

The providers of childcare start by drawing up, among other things, the pedagogical policy plan and the safety and health plan. However, they do not always know how best to approach this.

A great deal of effort is seen among professionals to meet the training requirements. Many of these professionals are currently following an MBO course at level 1, 2, 3 or 4. It will be several years before they reach the necessary qualification level.

The researchers say they are also positive that they are already seeing improvements in locations where people have visited more often, for example where the pedagogical climate was inadequate. It is also noted that holders and professionals are prepared to work with the identified points for improvement.

“In addition to these positive points, we found that many locations do not yet meet the requirements for almost all the standards that were examined. Much has been achieved, but there is still a long way to go. We saw a variety in the quality achieved to date at the locations. For example, we mainly observed major differences – and also risks – in the housing situation of locations, the level of education of the professionals and the available game and development materials,” the report on the research concludes.

In addition, the researchers take risks in the field of essential safety and health requirements. These are, for example, the presence of up-to-date Declarations on Behavior (VOGs), a step-by-step plan for domestic violence and child abuse, and compliance with the four-eyes principle.

Shortcomings

“These shortcomings need to be addressed immediately to mitigate risks to child safety. That is why we made recovery agreements with the holders with a short recovery period,” the report concludes.

The researchers also estimate that it will be difficult for some locations to meet certain requirements. This applies, for example, to housing requirements. This is particularly important if homes or other buildings are rented, or if rooms are difficult to adapt from a structural point of view. A single location can already work on its own ambitions.