Happy & Vital at SKO
At SKO, we want to encourage and guide both children and employees towards a happy and healthy future. We believe that everyone flourishes best when they are allowed to be who they are and can grow into who they want to become. That is why we create an environment where well-being, health, development, and fun naturally come together.
Our goal is for Happy & Vital not to be a standalone program, but an integrated part of everything we do. It is an important elaboration of our pedagogical vision and ambitions for children, employees, and our organization.
What does Gelukkig & Vitaal stand for?
At SKO, Happy & Vital revolves around:
- Healthy food and healthy choices
- Sufficient exercise and outdoor play
- Relaxation and awareness
- Creativity and talent development
- Positive social contacts
- Vitality, job satisfaction and well-being of employees
We offer children playful experiences that help them develop skills for a happy and healthy life. Fun, discovery, and experience are central to this.
The Happy & Vital working group
The Happy & Vital working group consists of ambassadors from various locations. Together with the Happy & Vital steering committee, they develop new initiatives, share knowledge, and raise awareness regarding health, happiness, and vitality within SKO. In this way, we ensure that these themes remain visible in our daily actions and activities.
Happy & Vital in practice
We work in many different ways on the conditions for growing up happy and vital. For example, we work with the Healthy Childcare program, and specially trained staff share their knowledge with colleagues.
Physical activity and outdoor play also receive a lot of attention. Children regularly go into nature, build huts and rafts, go on scavenger hunts, and bake bread rolls over a self-made fire. In addition, we offer activities such as children's yoga, acrobatics, and creative workshops.
Through these experiences, children not only discover their talents but also learn to work together, persevere, relax, and enjoy the world around them.
Healthy choices
For us, health goes beyond exercise alone. Healthy nutrition and good personal care are also important components of Gelukkig & Vitaal. That is why we critically review our nutritional policy and make conscious choices. For instance, we have developed an order list for healthy food and have switched to a more skin-friendly sunscreen.
Attention to employees
Happy and vital employees are of great value to children, parents, and colleagues. That is why we also invest in the well-being of our employees.
We do this by, among other things, offering training on job satisfaction, chair massages, and a vitality budget that employees can use for activities or facilities that contribute to their health, happiness, and vitality.
Learning and developing together
SKO collaborates with researchers from Wageningen University & Research on the theme of healthy nutrition for children. Via Hungry Minds we help translate scientific insights into childcare practice.
In a playful and accessible way, we make children aware of healthy choices. A great example of this is the Smikkelweken, during which children are introduced to new flavors and discover how fun healthy eating can be.
In this way, together every day, we build an environment where children and staff can grow, discover, and work with pleasure towards a happy and vital future.
