The locations of the settings in Spijkenisse, where Marjolein Lops-Fredriks works as manager, are sometimes referred to as ‘disadvantaged communities’. She prefers to call them ‘dynamic environments’. Part of her responsibilities involves maintaining contact, on behalf of her team of nearly 40 employees, with the schools, the municipality and public health services in the region. In her case, this means more work than at other settings, she readily acknowledges. “But that's okay," she adds immediately. “You do this work because you want to help children and people. And we get to do that every day.”
The community is home to many low-income families. It is very culturally diverse – for example, Partou also accommodates children of refugees who have been granted asylum in the Netherlands. “You don't get a say in where you’re born," Marjolein emphasises. "This applies to the children we care for just as much as it does to their parents. Each family has a unique story to tell.”
Be even more alert
At the out-of-school club and the childcare centre in Spijkenisse, for example, the team cares for refugee children who suffer from the trauma they have experienced in their short lives. "We are even more alert to what we see in these children," explains the setting manager. "How are they behaving, are they more quiet, for example? Or are they developing more slowly than the other children? When you notice such things, you reach out to agencies that might be able to help. We may feel , for example, that a child needs more care than our team can provide in regular childcare.”
Spijkenisse is no exception in this, by the way, Marjolein stresses. “Sadly, the increasing number of vulnerable children is a national trend," she explains. “Life has become tougher for many in the Netherlands in recent years. You see middle-income families struggling to make ends meet, and you notice the impact this has on the children.” Partou employees have a strong sense of responsibility, she finds. "You do what you can with what you have. We are trained in pedagogy and see the children almost every day: our employees usually notice behavioural issues before parents do.”
Healthy breakfast
Sometimes Marjolein finds that a child needs more support than what the staff can provide: “In such instances, our care coordinator observes the child, and if they notice anything concerning, they will contact the municipality’s Jeugdondersteuningsteam (the children and youth services department), which may assign a coach from Coachpoint, if required.”
But sometimes even a small adjustment to the daily programme at the childcare centre can make a big difference. Last year, for instance, the childcare centre in Spijkenisse took part in a pilot to offer children a healthy breakfast. The results were so positive that the initiative is now part of the staff's regular daily routine.
“It is proving difficult for more and more parents to offer their child a nutritious meal at the start of the day,” Marjolein notes. “The importance of a good breakfast cannot be underestimated. Kids that have not eaten a proper breakfast are noticeably restless and unfocused throughout the day.” That is why Partou's early years staff now give the kids asking for something to eat a healthy sandwich between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. “This obviously means more work for the staff, but everyone agreed that we are happy to go that extra mile for the children.” Between five and 10 children now make use of the service every day.
Aggression training
The setting manager makes no claims that her team has a tougher time in the disadvantaged communities than their colleagues in more affluent communities. “But you have to be cut from the right cloth to work here,” she says, nodding. “Children with problems require additional support, and, in some cases, so do their parents.” In March, the entire OSC team received aggression training to better equip them to deal with difficult situations involving threats and aggression from parents: “The team has learned to express their limits in such situations and are now better equipped to de-escalate a situation as quickly as possible.”
A commitment to care
No matter where Partou is, we strive to make a difference: for children, families, our people, and the planet. Curious about what we do, what we dream of, and the challenges we face?