BES(t) 4 kids Statia participates in twinning program with Haarlem

In the following two weeks the BES(t) 4 kids program on Statia will participate in a twinning program with Haarlem in The Netherlands. In Statia the program takes place online. The theme is Pedagogical Policy and what this means in the daily situation in the childcare centers of St. Eustatius.

The kick-off of this part of the program was last Monday, August 23 2021 with Alida Francis (Government Commissioner), Carol Jack-Roosberg (Director Social Domain) Linda Blankhorst (Director Op Stoom Childcare in The Netherlands), and Angela Dekker (Project leader BES(t) 4 Kids).

Pedagogical plan
Each center on Statia has a pedagogical policy plan that describes how to monitor and stimulate the child’s development and how to organize the program and the daily activities. The Policy plan is based on the pedagogical vision of Statia, the input from each center and coaching by Linda Blankhorst. “How we raise our children makes all the difference,” says Alida Francis. “The role of professionals in education, working alongside the parents, is important for children. Having a pedagogical policy in childcare centers is a good step.”

As part of the program, meetings and trainings will take place the upcoming days with childcare centers, personnel, the boards and the parents.
Each center will present the results of the plans and how to deal with pedagogy in practice to the parents. Information sessions for the Boards are scheduled and training will be provided to staff how to implement the Pedagogical policy. There will also be a presentation regarding the developments of Bes(t) 4 Kids on Statia up till now.

At the end of September some directors will visit the Op Stoom childcare organization in The Netherlands to exchange information. With this program, BES(t) 4 kids gives the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences in order to have the best quality of childcare on Statia.