de Optimist

Welcome to daycare centre de Optimist, part of Kindcentrum Het Baken at Bovenweg 68 in Sint Pancras. Like a real Optimist – a small sailing boat for young captains – we offer children aged 2 to 4 a safe harbour where they can take the helm themselves. In our horizontal group, children of the same age play together so that all activities can be perfectly tailored to their developmental stage. Our pedagogical staff use Early Childhood Education (ECE) through theme-based learning. Every morning starts with a circle in which we discuss the weather, use daily-rhythm cards and introduce the activities of the day. Afterwards the children get to work with painting, gluing, drawing, building and puzzling – always linked to the current theme. In between there is room for free play in the corners or outdoor play in our large garden with sandpit, scooters and bikes. In bad weather we dance or do gymnastics indoors. Language development receives extra attention: we name what we see and do, adapt our language to the toddlers’ level of understanding and read aloud every day in large or small groups. Fruit, vegetables and water are always available; we take allergies and special dietary requirements into account. At around 12:20 we walk the children outside for a warm handover to the parents. Parents are our regular sailing mates: we discuss progress through a conversation cycle and work together on a continuous line to the kindergarten group. This way every child will confidently continue on their own course.