Information for after-school care parents

Dear parent(s), caregiver(s), 

Welcome to Oya’s Childcare. Our approach to childcare is to foster little miracles. Step by step, day by day, children develop their own unique talents and personalities by exploring their world and their place in it. They amaze us with their creativity, their discoveries, their imagination, the honesty of their emotions, and their capacity to learn through play. 

We will make sure that your child feels at home and safe with us; and we will also make your life a little easier. 

We included a few important matters in this document. We kindly ask you to read this information carefully. Please let us know if you have any questions about the information provided below. 

Opening hours 

During school weeks, our after-school care center opens immediately after school hours until 6:30 PM. During vacation weeks, our after-school care center provides childcare.

Pedagogical policy 

Oya’s Childcare pedagogical vision is based on well-established knowledge on child development as well as best practices mixed with a good dose of practical common sense. We don’t believe there is one right way of promoting a child’s development. We do believe that good childcare demands a high level of sensitivity to the individual child and to the opportunities for social interaction provided by the group.

Our vision has been elaborated in our pedagogical policy. This policy plan is available for parents’ perusal at the office of the location manager. 

Parentportal 

Oya’s Childcare uses a digital parent portal. This web application: https://oyas.kindplanner.nl/#/login allows us to keep track of all data relating to you and your child(ren), contracts, invoices, and swap days. Through this portal, you can change information and request swap days and extra days. The staff members in the group of your child will regularly post pictures of activities they performed with the children. This way, you can keep track of what your child is doing during the day. In addition to the web application, you can also access the portal with the SDB Octopus app. This app can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store. The organization code for the app is: K3700ec3c. You can then log in with your email address and password.

Bringing in the children during holiday periods

In the morning, we kindly ask you to hang your child’s coat and any other items on the peg before you enter the group. That way, your child is immediately ready to play upon entering the group. Please don't forget to put covers on your shoes before entering the group.

If your child feels comfortable, we ask that you say goodbye to them in a clear and concise manner. It is important that you leave the group immediately after saying goodbye. Experience has shown that the moment of goodbye shouldn't be prolonged. If a child is having trouble saying goodbye, the staff member will take the child from the parent(s) and wave goodbye together.

Picking up the children

When it comes to picking up the children, we like to provide clarity to your children as well. When you enter the group, we will return the child to your care. If time allows, you may take a moment to finish the game or drawing with your child. One of the staff members will tell you how the day went and mention any particularities, after which the staff members say goodbye to your child.

In principle, your child may only be picked up by you in person; of course, you can ask someone else to pick up your child. We kindly ask you to inform us about this upfront. Should you have forgotten to do so, we will call you before allowing your child to go home with that person. 

Reporting absence 

If your child is sick or stays home for another reason, you can report your child’s absence through the parental portal. We kindly ask you to do so in a timely manner, preferably before 13.30 AM, so that we can take your child’s absence into account when considering the scheduled activities for the day. Should the parental portal not be available or should you not be able to log in, you can, of course, report your child’s absence by phone (020- 22624242) or via email (obrecht@oyas.nl). 

Extra day or change of day 

If you would like to bring your child to Oya’s Childcare for an extra day or swap a day, you can indicate this via the Parent Portal. Please note that submitting a request does not automatically guarantee approval. The option to request swap days is an added privilege that we are happy to offer you. As you've come to expect, we strive to be as flexible as possible in this regard, but not at the expense of regulations (staff-to-child ratio) and the attention we provide to the children. Therefore please do not assume that all your missed days can be swapped.

You can submit exchange requests two months before or two months after the original day. If your child attends an additional day, they will be placed in their own (home) group with their regular nannies (if there is room in the group).  

A request can only be approved if there is availability. Because all groups are fully booked, availability depends on the absence of other children in the group. We often only know this shortly before the requested day, and sometimes not until the morning itself. Therefore, it is difficult for us to approve a request even before the requested day.  

If you check the schedule on the web application, you'll see that the requested day is still marked with a stripe, as long as the request hasn't been approved. In the SDB Octopus app, you'll see a striped bar on the right when you click on the requested day. The request will turn green once we approve it, and only then can your child attend on the requested day.  

If there's no space available, we'll reject your request, and the requested day will be highlighted in red in the schedule (a red bar will appear on the right in the SDP Octopus app). If you've swapped from a previous day, your original day will also be canceled. If you've swapped from a future day, you'll keep your original day and can try to swap it again if necessary. 

You will also receive an email from the system with the approved or rejected day, this goes to the parent who also receives the invoices and is marked as parent no. 1.

As parents please make sure to mark your child absent in the Parent Portal if you are on holiday or your child is not well. This allows us to help other parents who may need additional childcare. By offering flexibility and facilitating swap days, we strive to meet the needs of all our families. We understand that sometimes unforeseen circumstances can affect your plans, and we want to be there to support you where we can.

However, it's important to remember that during holiday periods, groups may be smaller, as our dedicated staff also need a well-deserved break. We do our best to ensure there are still enough staff available to care for the children and provide them with the care they need. We strive for a balance between ensuring the quality of care and ensuring our staff have sufficient rest.

Would you like more information about the application process? Please visit our office. Or you can send an email to: obrecht@oyas.nl. We are always ready to answer your questions and help you plan your childcare.

Excursions 

We will offer your child a fun and challenging environment. We may do this in the groups, in the garden, or in one of the extra indoor rooms, but we will also enhance your child’s experiential world by going on excursions. You will be notified of these excursions upfront, either through the parental portal or by phone.

Toys 

We kindly ask you to leave your child’s own toys at home instead of bringing them to Oya’s Childcare; we ensure that there are enough appropriate toys in the groups.

Nutrition

If your child has a nutrition allergy, this will be discussed in detail during the intake interview, and it will be listed along with the child’s data. We will take any diet (wishes) into account. 

Illness 

We ask that you keep your child home if they have a contagious illness other than a mild cold. This protects the other children in the group and is in the best interest of your sick child, who needs rest and minimal stimulation. For impetigo and cold sores, we ask that you always consult your GP for a diagnosis, treat your child for at least 48 hours before returning them to Oya's Childcare, and wait until all the blisters have dried up.

If your child has a non-contagious illness, we will decide in consultation with you whether your child would benefit from coming to Oya’s Childcare and whether a modified program is needed. 

If your child gets sick during its stay at Oya’s Childcare, we will contact you. In consultation with you, we will decide whether your child will or will not be picked up. If necessary, your child can temporarily be accommodated in one of the separate sleeping areas, and we will devote extra attention to your child. 

In the event that there is a contagious disease at the after-school care centre, you and all the other parents will immediately be informed about it via email and/or through notifications at the after-school centre. 

lice

If head lice are detected, we will follow the Lice Protocol. As soon as a parent reports head lice, the Oya's Childcare team will be informed. Parents will be notified via notifications in the classroom.

Use of medication

If we need to give your child medication, we will discuss this with you in detail, and we will follow our Medical Protocol. All medical data as well as the use of medication will be recorded in your child’s file.

Promotion to the next group

When your child is ready to move up to the older basic group of the after-school care center, you will be informed in a timely manner. This transition will be very natural, so a specific adjustment period is not necessary. The children in the different basic groups know each other well because they participate in many activities together during the day (or afternoon) and because, in accordance with the open-door policy, the children are not primarily in one room. Moreover, the staff and the group rooms are already familiar to the child.

We offer after-school care contracts with an end date of the last day of the summer holidays in the school year in which a child turns 7. 

Safety

To ensure the safety of children at all times, we have put some rules in place. You are responsible for your child until you’ve delivered it at your child’s (primary) group and staff members. After picking up your child from the group and upon leaving the building, you are responsible.

Children cannot run in the hallways and on the stairs; children are only permitted to use the elevator and the toilet when accompanied by an adult.

Pets are not allowed in the building. If you bring your dog when you drop off or pick up your child, we kindly ask you to put it on a leash at the side of the building.

In order to ensure the safety of the children, parents cannot use the fence of the garden. Should your child be playing in the garden when you come to pick it up, we kindly ask you to leave the garden through the building again. 

Children cannot run in the hallways and on the stairs; children are only permitted to use the toilet when accompanied by an adult.  

Staff deployment

Oya’s Childcare makes every effort to ensure the greatest possible safety of the children. For example, we will always ensure that we comply with the staff member-child ratio defined by law – at the very least. In addition, we also adhere to the four eyes principle; we ensure that there is always another adult nearby.

Complaint procedure

At Oya’s Childcare, we do not only think it’s very important that children feel safe and secure; we also believe it’s essential that you can leave your little miracle with us with confidence. We try to be open, transparent, and accessible. 

If you aren’t satisfied with something, you can turn to the management to find a suitable solution. You can come to us at the office, or you can contact us by phone or by email and/or make an appointment. 

If you feel that staff is not dealing with your complaint in a satisfactory manner you can send a formal complaint to management of Oya’s Childcare to: finance@oyas.nl. Oya’s Childcare has an internal complaint procedure to deal with complaints received. This procedure describes how we deal with and register complaint from parents. The written complaint procedure document can be viewed by parents at our Oya’s Childcare offices.

If despite the above the internal complaint procedure is not dealt with in a satisfactory manner parents can then seek information, advice, and mediation at Klachtloket Kinderopvang at www.klachtenloket-kinderopvang.nl. Parents can also register their complaint at the Geschillencommissie at www.degeschillencommissie.nl.

In some exceptional situations complaints can be brought directly to the Geschillencommissie. Their procedure can be found on www.degeschillencommissie.nl/over-ons/commissies/kinderopvang/.

Parent committee

To support decisions regarding the daily execution of childcare duties, Oya’s Childcare will form a parent committee in due time.  

The parent committee consists of 7 members and has regular contact with the management about the goings-on of the childcare center. The advice of the parent committee will cover issues such as safety, health, opening hours, fees, nutrition, parenting, activities, and the complaint procedure. The advice is not binding to Oya’s Childcare management as long as it can indicate – in a substantiated manner and in writing – that the interest of the childcare is in conflict with the advice. Sometimes, the parent committee will also be asked to help with the organization of parent committee meetings and parties. Their email is: oc@oyas.nl. 

Privacy

Oya’s Childcare is bound to the applicable laws and regulations in the field of registration of personal data and privacy. Oya’s Childcare needs personal information of the children and their parents for the purpose of providing responsible care. Oya’s Childcare records this information in a software program called KindPlanner. This information cannot be accessed by unauthorized persons and will not be passed on to others. In addition, all of Oya’s Childcare employees have a confidentiality obligation to third parties. 

How to contact us

Our office and our childcare center are located in the same building. You can contact our office with all your questions. 

Oya’s Childcare Obrecht
Jacob Obrechtstraat 26
1071 KM Amsterdam
020-226 2424
obrecht@oyas.nl