General

The Clown Club was founded in 1995 with the aim of supporting and encouraging an intercultural learning process between children, their parents, and the pedagogical professionals. We do this in an environment that offers the child both physical and social-emotional safety and security, and which invites the child to develop optimally through play. The Clown Club is open on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM.

The Clown Club accommodates a maximum of 76 children, divided over 6 groups. The number of children per group is determined according to the Collective Labor Agreement (CAO) standard for Childcare. If fewer children than the maximum group size are present (for example, during holiday periods or understaffing of groups), a staff member may work alone or groups may be merged. Groups can also be merged for certain activities, such as playing outside. In this case (when children leave their base group for activities), the maximum size of the base group is temporarily waived. This means that sometimes more children may be present in a group room.

The Clown Club is based on an all-inclusive concept. Diapers, wipes, fruit, meals, etc., are provided by us. We only ask you to bring powdered milk from home due to the many different brands and its perishability.

International

At The Clown Club, there are English-speaking and Dutch-speaking groups. Our team of pedagogical professionals is international in composition. Babies start in the Babyroom where both English and Dutch can be spoken to the children. From the toddler groups onwards, there is a split between English and Dutch. The staff at The Clown Club uses the ‘one situation – one language’ strategy:

• In the Dutch-speaking group, Dutch is spoken with the children.
• In the English-speaking group, English is spoken with the children.
• Pedagogical professionals speak the main language of the group they are in among themselves.

Children of Dutch parents are placed in a Dutch-speaking group, and children of parents with another nationality are placed in an English-speaking group. Children of parents with another nationality may also be placed in a Dutch group. Dutch children may only be placed in an English group if one of the following conditions is met:

• The child is being raised bilingually at home
• The child has family abroad, through which the child comes into contact with the English language.
• The child will attend an international primary school when they are 4 years old.
• The child will move abroad within 4 years.

Monitoring quality

Our staff are qualified in accordance with the Childcare CAO and thus meet the educational requirements. As a recognized training company, The Clown Club has interns/students working and studying under the guidance of our work supervisors and practical trainers, alongside our experienced pedagogical staff. The pedagogical staff have a pedagogical coach at their disposal who works with them to maintain high quality. A Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is requested for all employees of The Clown Club. Every employee is also registered in the personal register for childcare. With the help of the RIE (Risk Inventory and Evaluation), we try to guarantee the safety of the children. This document is always up to date and is regularly discussed with the pedagogical staff. In addition, there is an annual inspection by the GGD (Public Health Service). You can find this inspection report on our site.

Protocols

Various protocols are in place at The Clown Club to ensure safety and hygiene. These include our pedagogical policy, safety and health protocols, heat protocol, and a nutrition policy. The most important protocols can be found in the KidsKonnect app and on our site. Would you like to view other protocols? Please let the office know.

Intake and settling in

The week before the child comes for their first full day, an intake interview takes place with the parents. This meeting takes place in the staff room. Your child will stay with the group during the meeting to get used to the environment without the parents/caregivers for a while. In the Babyroom, the first settling-in period lasts about 1 hour. After that, there is a second settling-in period of about 3 hours.

For children from 1 year old, both settling-in periods are 3 hours, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. During the meeting, the eating schedule, sleep rhythm, and any special needs of the child are discussed. This way, we can respond as well as possible to the needs of the parents and the child.

After the intake interview, you will receive the ‘Group Handbook’, which contains specific information regarding the care in your child’s group.

Please note: For the first settling-in day, we ask you to bring a set of spare clothes, a bottle (for the Babyroom), and, if used, a cuddly toy and pacifier. We also ask you to download the KidsKonnect app in advance. In the app, we ask you to fill in the permissions and check the details.

Mentor

Each child is assigned a mentor who is the point of contact for the parents. The mentor will conduct the intake interview and the 10-minute meeting with you, and is responsible for the observations. You can see who your child’s mentor is in the KidsKonnect app. The mentor is always a teacher from your child’s group. If your child moves on to the next group, a new mentor will be assigned.

Observation forms

Children develop continuously. Every child is different and develops at their own pace. At fixed ages, each child is observed using observation forms. These observation forms help the teachers get a good picture of the child’s development and identify any developmental leads or delays. This allows the pedagogical professionals to respond even better to the child’s needs and offer tailor-made activities.

The Clown Club works together with the primary schools in Wassenaar. Upon the transition to primary school, the observation forms will be sent to your child’s primary school (with your permission).

10-minute meetings

Once a year, the 10-minute meetings take place. During these, the observation forms are discussed, and parents can view them. The child’s well-being is discussed, and there is room for consultation. You will receive an invitation for this meeting in due course.

Door policy

The Clown Club opens its doors at 7:00 AM. The front door is still locked at that time for safety reasons. You (parents) can ring the bell, and a teacher will come to the door. The handover between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM therefore takes place at the front door. At 8:00 AM, the teachers go to their own group with the children present. The front door is then unlocked. After 8:00 AM, you can bring your child to their own class. Between drop-off and pick-up times, the front door is also closed for safety. You can then ring the bell. English 1 and the office can open the door via a button. Note: you will hear a ‘click’, after which you can open the door.

Children can be dropped off from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM and picked up from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Pick-up and drop-off can also take place at other times during the day, in consultation with the group leaders. This is in connection with the activities and the daily rhythm we follow.

Sickness policy

Sick children may not come to The Clown Club. If your child becomes ill during their stay at The Clown Club, we will contact you by telephone. A child is considered sick if they have a fever of 38.5 degrees or if the child is unable to follow the daily program due to other complaints. In case of doubt, we will inform and consult the parents. Please note: a child must be fever-free for 24 hours before coming back to play at The Clown Club. For childhood illnesses, we follow the guidelines from the GGD.

Our ‘sick children’ protocol can be found on our website and in the KidsKonnect app.

In some cases, medication can be administered at The Clown Club, only under certain conditions. For this, parents must fill in and sign a form. We only give medication prescribed by your own GP.

Medications we do not administer are:

• Paracetamol/aspirin.
• Medications without a package leaflet.
• Medications that have passed their expiration date.
• Medicines that require a specific action (which only medical personnel are authorized to perform).

All children at The Clown Club are required to register with the child health center (consultatiebureau) and ensure 100% compliance with vaccinations.

Baskets

Each child gets their own basket, which is located in the hall downstairs or in the group room itself. We ask for a set of spare clothes from home for the basket. We also regularly do crafts that can be taken home in the basket. We request that you regularly check if the spare clothes still fit. We also ask you to put seasonal items in the basket; think of a sun hat, swimwear, rainwear. Clothes that have become dirty will be sent home in a separate bag. We use Kruidvat brand sunscreen. If you prefer another sunscreen, we ask you to bring it from home.

Labeling clothes, bags, etc., with your child’s name is greatly appreciated. This is also recommended for jackets and other belongings. This prevents unnecessary loss and searching.

Lost and found

Lost and found items are collected in a basket in the hall by the front door. If you are missing something, please check this basket. A few times a year, we give unclaimed items to charities.

Parking space

Parking space on our own grounds is limited. We request that, if it is busy, you park your car correctly in the surrounding area. If you park in our parking lot, please ensure you do not block other cars. We also ask you to be careful and patient when entering and exiting. Drivers on Johan de Wittstraat often are not, so caution is advised!

Pay attention to the safety of the children being dropped off and picked up and walking in the parking lot!

Contact between the group leaders and parents is mainly during the drop-off and pick-up of your child. A short conversation is held about your child, how the day went, and what the child did. It can sometimes be busy during drop-off and pick-up times. If parents want a more extensive conversation, this is possible; a separate appointment can be made for this. If the children are playing outside, we ask you to come onto the playground for the handover.

A number of permanent pedagogical professionals work in each group. In addition, it may happen that a pedagogical professional from another group comes to work, and we also work with (permanent) substitute staff. In all cases, we strive as much as possible for permanent group leaders who are familiar to the children and parents.

Because the groups merge at the beginning and end of the day, there is a chance you might miss your child’s regular teacher. That is why we work with the KidsKonnect app. At the end of the day, the teachers write a short piece about what the children experienced that day.

In the Babyroom, sleep and eating times are also recorded. We also aim to send some nice photos every week.

Contact information

For administrative questions, it is best to send an email to the office, info@theclownclub.com. We can be reached by telephone at: 070-5140981. If this number is not answered, we can be reached in case of emergency at: 070-5114685.

To contact a teacher in the group, you can send a message directly to the group via the group logbook in KidsKonnect.

Please note: messages sent to the group will not always be read and answered immediately. This is because the teachers are busy with the children. At set times during the day, they check the messages in the app.

Parent committee

The Clown Club has a parent committee. For information, you can contact the parent committee via the email address clowncluboc@gmail.com

Changes in the family situation?

Are there changes in the family situation and does this have consequences for the child? Please let the group know. Then we can guide the children as well as possible in this.

Pick-up by another caregiver

If your child is picked up by someone other than yourself (parents), you must indicate this in advance to the pedagogical professionals in the group. If this has not happened, we always call one of the parents first before we release the child. Unfortunately, without notice, we cannot release the child.

Suggestions/complaints

If you have suggestions/complaints, we would like to hear them. You can do this with the person(s) involved or with the management (office). At the entrance of The Clown Club, there is a box from the parent committee for suggestions. You can also submit your complaint to an external complaints committee in accordance with the Complaints Right Act.

You can report your complaint by telephone to the Childcare Complaints Desk; telephone number: 0900-1877, or via the website www.klachtenloket-kinderopvang.nl. Anonymous complaints will not be processed. The Childcare Complaints Desk is an independent and expert committee, specially created to handle complaints about affiliated childcare centers. The Clown Club is affiliated with the Childcare Complaints Desk and the Childcare and Playgroups complaints and disputes regulations.

What happens to a complaint submitted to management?

When you submit a complaint to the office, we handle it carefully. We will investigate your complaint and keep you informed of the progress.

We try to handle the complaint as soon as possible. This naturally depends on the nature of the complaint. The complaint will be handled no later than 6 weeks after submission. You will then receive a written response from us. If measures are attached to this, we will also clearly indicate within what period this will be realized.

Extra childcare and credits

If your child is absent for a day, you must report this before 9:00 AM on the same day; you will then receive a credit for this. If you report an absence after 9:00 AM, you will not receive a credit. If you occasionally need extra childcare, you can make a request in the KidsKonnect app. Payment can be made by invoice or, if accumulated, by credit. Credits are valid for six months and are processed approximately 2-4 weeks before the requested day. If there is no space in the group, you can be placed on the waiting list. If a spot becomes available, the request can still be approved. Credits are an extra service and can be viewed in the app.

Payment

The costs for childcare are stated in the agreement and on the cost overview for the relevant calendar year. Payment of the monthly installments is made by direct debit on the first of the relevant month.

Closing days

The Clown Club is closed on Dutch national holidays. You will not receive an exchange credit for closing days such as Easter.

The Clown Club is also closed for 2 weeks during the summer holidays. This closing period is calculated over the entire year, so the invoice amount remains the same every month.

Every year in November, you will receive the annual calendar for the following year with the closing days.

Cancel agreement

From the moment the agreement is signed until the start date of the agreement, you have the option to cancel the agreement. Cancellation costs are due for this. The amount of the cancellation costs is €100.00 due to the costs incurred. (Please note, the notice period applies one month before the start date)

Contract start date

Two dates are stated on the contract. The start date of the contract and the start date of the placement. The contract starts 2 weeks before the permanent placement. The settling-in days take place during those 2 weeks. Childcare is invoiced from the start date of the placement.

Notice period

Each of the parties has the right to terminate the agreement or part of the agreed duration by means of a written or electronic statement addressed to the other party, observing a notice period of one month. This must be done before the 1st or 15th of the month. An agreement ends automatically on the 15th or the end of the month when your child has reached the age of 4, unless expressly agreed otherwise.

Manage your administration digitally in KidsKonnect

Once both parties have signed the placement contract, parents will receive an email (6 weeks before the first day of care) with the login details for the KidsKonnect parent app. Go to theclownclub.ouderportaal.nl or download the KidsKonnect app and enter the details provided. Through the Parent App, parents can, for example, change their personal details, request extra days, report vacations, download invoices, and even add a new child. Parents can log in six weeks before the placement begins. The app contributes to better communication between parents and teachers in the group. You will also get a glimpse into your child’s experiences during a day at The Clown Club through the app.