Kinderopvang Ikke - BSO De Beuken

BSO De Beuken is located in a beautifully renovated villa at Kerkstraat 5 in Nijmegen. The location is part of Kinderopvang Ikke, a Nijmegen-based childcare organisation that has been providing tailored care since 2002. At De Beuken we combine daycare (0-4 years) with after-school care (4-12 years), allowing brothers and sisters to stay together in one place. Our BSO has 28 regular places and follows a horizontal group structure: children stay with peers of the same age, creating calm and familiarity. We work according to the Reggio Emilia philosophy and nature-based learning. Children are encouraged to explore, experiment and take the lead in their play. The spacious green garden surrounding the villa serves as our outdoor classroom: here we build dens, search for insects, play team games and use natural materials for crafts. Inside, the villa is cosily arranged with different play corners, a creative workspace and a homely living room where we eat and talk together. After school we collect children from primary schools De Lanteerne, De Zonnewende and Michiel de Ruyter. Each group has a fixed pedagogical employee who knows the children well. Activities are tailored to the children’s world: sports and games in the garden, nature education, creative projects and room for their own initiatives. We use the parent portal Kindplanner for planning, photos and messages, keeping parents informed of their child’s experiences. Parents are our partners in upbringing. We organise parent evenings, work with fixed mentors and hold two development conversations per year using the WIS method. De Beuken’s parent committee actively contributes to policy, activities and the layout of the location. Together we create a second home where children feel safe, valued and challenged.