Policy Kindercentrum WereldKids regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Kindercentrum WereldKids has formulated a policy regarding how we are dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19). Below you can find answers to the frequently asked questions we have received.
First of all, there are no known cases of infection with our employees, children and parents/caretakers.
Where can I ask questions about the Coronavirus?
The RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) is directive in answering all your questions about the Coronavirus. Please visit their website through this link.
For specific questions regarding Kindercentrum WereldKids and the Coronavirus, please send an email to: coronavirus@kindercentrumwereldkids.nl.
We kindly request you to adhere to the set measures
It is still very important that employees, parents and visitors to our locations adhere to the set measures. By jointly complying with the measures together, we are all working towards a safe and healthy childcare location for the children and workplace for our employees. We draw your attention to the most important measures:
- Wear your facemask at the locations;
- Keep a distance of 1.5 meters to employee/adults at the group/location;
- Continue to follow the routing (bring and pick up children) as indicated at the location;
- Each location has a hand gel display: disinfect your hands before entering the group;
- For our after school care, the children are still picked up outside of the location.
Update 14 January 2021:
Measures will continue to apply since Wednesday December 16, 2020
The closure of childcare facilities and schools since 16 December 2020, will be extended by three weeks. It is unclear at the moment when it will be possible to reopen. Children whose parents work in crucial professional groups and children in a vulnerable position can go to their own childcare and school for emergency care.
Emergencycare
Childcare organizations and primary schools provide emergency care for:
- Children whose parents or parents work in a crucial occupational group;
- Children for whom customization is required due to problems or a difficult home situation.
Please note – this arrangement is different from the situation in the spring:
Emergency care provided by a childcare organization is only available for children of parents who have a contract with the childcare and for the number of hours agreed in the contract.
Do you work in a crucial profession and do you want to make use of extra childcare during regular opening hours? Please contact the Planning department of WereldKids: planning@kindercentrumwereldkids.nl.
Why is childcare closing?
The measure is aimed at limiting the number of contact moments and travel movements of parents and thus reducing the number of spread of the virus. The basic principle is that everyone stays at home and works from home as much as possible. Closing childcare contributes to this.
Childcare does not close because of the contamination risks in childcare. This is because young children have a limited role in the spread of the virus.
Can schools change their teaching times?
The basic principle is that schools adhere to their regular teaching times when providing emergency shelter. In doing so, they take into account any necessary staggered times to bring and collect children. This is to ensure sufficient distance between adults. The BSO is open during the regular opening hours of the BSO. The school is responsible for a good connection with the BSO and makes agreements about this with the BSO locations.
For whom is emergency care available?
Emergency care is available for:
- Children of whom one or both parents work in a crucial occupational group;
- Children for whom special problems or a difficult home situation require customization.
Who provides emergency care?
Emergency care is provided by schools and childcare organizations (day care and out-of-school care). Schools provide emergency care during school hours and childcare during the regular opening hours of the childcare.
Is 24-hour emergency care available in the evening, night and weekend?
Only if your day nursery or out-of-school care offers 24-hour care according to regular opening hours, 24-hour emergency care is available for your child (ren).
What are the crucial professions?
Only distance education is provided in primary and secondary education and at institutions for secondary vocational education, higher vocational education and university education. Children with parents who work in a crucial profession can go to primary school or childcare or after-school care. If one parent in a family carries out a crucial profession, the request is to take care of the children themselves as much as possible. You can read which professional groups have been designated as vital on: www.rijksoverheid.nl
What if I work in a critical profession, but my partner doesn’t?
The starting point for one parent who performs a crucial profession is that the parents arrange the care at home as much as possible. But that is not a hard requirement. If it is not possible to take care of the children themselves, these parents can still take the children to the emergency shelter.
Childcare costs and own contribution allowance
Likewise the closure of spring 2020, the first lockdown, all parents who are registered and continue to pay their bills receive a government contribution towards their childcare costs. You can read more about this on the website of the government.
The amount above the maximum hourly rate is compensated by us to parents who do not bring their children to the emergency daycare. It is not yet known on which date it will be refunded. You will be informed as soon as this is known.
Decision tree – the tool to assess whether your child can come to the childcare
Childcare branch, Branch Social Childcare, Youth doctors Netherlands and the Parents’ Association in Childcare have drawn up a decision tree (0 – 12 year old) that serve as a guide to assess whether a child can come to childcare. WereldKids uses these decision trees. We also share the decision trees with you because we notice that this can also be a useful tool for you to use.
Updates before 14-01-2021
Update 14-12-2020
Measures from Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
Childcare (daycare and BSO) and primary education will be closed until at least January 17, 2021. Children whose parents work in crucial professional groups and children in a vulnerable position can go to their own childcare and school for emergency care.
What about emergency care during the Christmas holidays?
During the holiday period (December 21 to January 3, 2021), the primary schools are closed and the out-of-school care offers emergency care for their regular customers and during the usual opening hours they use during this holiday period.
Update 04-09-2020
Compensation for the personal contribution for childcare for parents who do not receive an allowance
Parents who are not entitled to childcare allowance and do not use a municipal subsidy scheme will receive the compensation that was previously promised for the personal contribution they paid to childcare.
“Parents who were temporarily unable to bring their child(ren) to childcare or after school care due to the Corona Crisis, but who did pay the bill, will get their money back“, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment in March at the start of the closure of childcare as a result of the Corona Crisis this spring. This commitment that all parents will be compensated for the continued payment of the childcare bills is now also being fulfilled for parents who do not receive childcare allowance. Earlier this summer, the personal contribution was already paid back to the parents who are entitled to childcare allowance.
How the compensation will be paid and who will implement this scheme is not yet known. It is expected that this may take several months before the relevant parents have the money in their account. As soon as we receive more information, we will inform you immediately.
All children to school and childcare
In families in quarantine (returning from an area that was given an orange code because of COVID-19), the rule in some cases was that children aged 4 to 12 were allowed to go to childcare and school. As of September the 1st, children from 0 to 4 years old may also go to daycare, sports and school.
For more information about returning from an area that has been given orange or red code because of COVID-19, please refer to the following link on the Rijksoverheid website:
In thuisquarantaine bij aankomst in Nederland | Coronavirus COVID-19
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From the 11th of May, Kindercentrum WereldKids is open again for regular care.
The day-care centres will be fully open again and the after-school care will be partially open. For the after-school care it applies that the children are welcome on days when the school is open. So if your child goes to school on Monday and you have a contract for the after-school care on Monday, we will pick up your child from school and take care of your child.
Additonal health measures:
- Keep 1,5 meters distance from eachother.
- Children are brought by one parent.
- Parents disinfect and children wash their hands.
- Briefly say goodbye to your child.
- Parents and children with symptoms are staying home.
The childcare was closed until 11 May, will parents continue to receive compensation for their own contribution?
Yes, the allowance will continue as long as the partial opening of primary schools and after-school care continues. This means that the national government will continue to reimburse parents for the personal contribution for child day care, after-school care and guest parent care up to the maximum hourly rate even after 11 May. So you will continue to pay our invoice. In this way, you can be sure of a trusted place at the childcare centre and you will continue to receive childcare benefit.
Will parents be compensated for contracts which started after the 6th of April? After all, the 6th of April is the reference date that the Tax and Customs Administration uses for the compensation of the personal contribution compensation.
Yes, parents who have signed a contract that starts after the 6th of April and are entitled to childcare allowance are eligible for compensation. But it is not yet clear how these parents can register for this. As soon as there is clarity about this, we will include this in this FAQ.
My child started at the care after March 16 and I have not yet applied for a childcare allowance. Do I get the compensation?
Normally you can apply for childcare allowance with retroactive effect up to 3 months after the start date. But since the compensation scheme is a temporary scheme, you will have to make this known. It is not yet clear how this should be done. As soon as more is known about this, we will return to this in this FAQ. We advise you to apply for childcare allowance as soon as possible.
Does the compensation also apply to people who do not receive childcare allowance?
It is not yet clear whether compensation is possible for parents who do not receive a childcare allowance and who pay the childcare costs entirely themselves. The declaration of intent between SZW, BK, BMK and BOinK refers to all parents, so for the time being we assume that this will be resolved at a later stage.
Do you not receive a childcare allowance? Then register on www.boink.info so that you can be approached immediately if there is an arrangement.
Update 17-06-2020
Kindercentrum WereldKids is closed until at least the 10th of may 2020
The Dutch authorities have decided to close all day-cares and schools from the 28th of march, until at least the 6th of april. All of our locations will only be opened to children of which at least one parent works in one of the appropriated essential professions.
What if I work in a essential profession, but my partner does not?
If this is the case, the government urges you to keep your child home, to minimise the risk of the Coronavirus spreading. Only if there is no other option day-care and school will provide care for your child.
Which professions have been allocated as essential?
You can find an overview of essential professions through this link: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/coronavirus-covid-19/cruciale-beroepsgroepenlijst
My child has to stay at home from the 16th of march, do I still have to pay for day-care?
Yes:
- Please pay your monthly invoice like you are used to;
- Don’t change anything at the tax authorities, regarding your child-care allowance. This way you will keep your right to day-care and allowance. The state will continue to pay out your allowance.
- You don’t have to change anything or stop the child care of your child.
Read more about your invoice and payment on this page
I work in a essential profession and my child normally goes to day-care, but has mild health issues (sneezing, coughing, runny nose, sore throat and/or a light fever up until 38 degrees celsius). Can I still bring my child?
No, you can’t. In order to keep the spreading of COVID-19 at a minimum, it is important to keep your child at home. Please contact your general practitioner if the symptoms get worse.
Who determines if children will be allowed to day-care and/or school?
If children can be taken care of at home, we strongly request parents to do this. At the moment day-care and school are solely meant for children of parents who work in an essential profession. If employees suspect that a child is showing symptoms, they keep the child separate and contact the parent immediately, after which the child will come to pick up the child and contact his own doctor or the local GGD by telephone.
Can parents oblige Kindercentrum WereldKids to open their location(s)?
This is a case of a force majeure, because the temporary measure tells the day-care organizations to close one or more locations. In that case, parents cannot force the day-care location to remain open. The day-care organization does not have to compensate the damage that parents may suffer, for example because they have to take days off or because they have to buy day-care elsewhere.
Will Kindercentrum WereldKids take additional measures?
We have asked all employees and parents / caregivers to inform us if there has been a recent stay in a risk area in combination with health complaints such as coughing and fever.
In consultation with the GGD, we follow the instructions that are indicated.
For the time being, the measures consist of the following indications:
- Wash your hands regularly;
- Cough and sneeze in the inside of your elbow;
- Use tissue paper.
- Visitors are no longer received with a handshake. Visitors are welcome, however there will be no more handshake;
- Visitors must wash or disinfect their own hands and the children’s hands upon entering.
- At each location there is the opportunity to wash or disinfect your hands and the hands of your children with a hand gel upon entry;
- Tightened cleaning measure. Clean door handles daily. In addition to the usual cleaning activities, the cleaning company and the pedagogical staff ensure that the door handles are cleaned daily;
- Eat from your own bowls.In some groups, the children are normally offered fruit on a large bowl, so the children can take fruit themselves. We now choose to let children eat fruit from their own bowls.
Are children a special risk group for the Coronavirus?(COVID-19)?
According to the RIVM, at the time of writing, children do not suffer from any of the symptoms that are paired with the coronavirus. Therefore children are not a special risk group.
Specific information for Amsterdam about the virus.
The council of Amsterdam has opened a live blog where you can follow the latest news. You can find the live blog here.
What if a child shows symptoms of the coronavirus?
- If parents have a suspicion, they must keep the child at home and contact their own GPor the local GGD by telephone immediately.
- If employees suspect that a child is showing symptoms, they will keep the child separate and contact the parents immediately, after which the parent / caregiver will come to pick up the child and contact his own doctor or the local GGD by telephone.
- A notification obligation applies to parents. This means that any infection of the new coronavirus must be reported to the GGD or the GP. We have been strongly advised to report an infection to the GGD.
- Follow the instructions of the GGD.
- Once it has been confirmed that the coronavirus is involved, all other employees, parents and partners (school boards) must be informed according to the instructions of the GGD.
When is my child too sick to come to the day-care?
With a fever and respiratory complaints, the child benefits from staying at home and resting. This is also in the interest of the other children and the employees of the day-care center.
If children are brought in or develop the above complaints during the day, you will be asked to pick up the child.
Children who are at home with colds and / or fevers are welcome again after they have been free of complaints for 24 hours.
