Playgroup Bloom - a great collaboration in Oegstgeest
SKO is in April 2022 together with the municipality of Oegstgeest Playgroup Bloom started in the Horseshoe Building. Bloom is a playgroup for non-Dutch speaking toddlers, so that they can start as soon as possible in a kindergarten class. The toddlers and their parents are status holders (people who have received a permit to stay in the Netherlands). While waiting for a house in Oegstgeest or one of the surrounding municipalities, they temporarily live in the Hoefijzer building.
“This playgroup gives the children the opportunity to get used to Dutch three mornings a week and to learn in a playful way what going to school looks like in the Netherlands,” says Jan Nieuwenhuis, alderman for education at the municipality of Oegstgeest. “The sooner children from a different background can participate in Dutch life, the better their chances for the future.”
Shirley de Voer, pedagogy manager at SKO, adds: “At SKO we really work for the children from the heart. In the collaboration with the municipality I notice that we can always find each other again on that point and that makes me happy. The playgroup is a good example of what we can achieve.”
Employees of the playgroup Ivanka and Chantal are enthusiastic: “What a special experience. The children come in with a smile, while they cannot make themselves understood. With hands and feet we come a long way. We playfully offer the Dutch language. We also go out with the cargo bike and show them more of the area. We enjoy it when they are playing and being a carefree child for a while.”
