Zachte Beginselen, Grote Dromen

Two things need to be in place before the first day, both for your baby's safety and calm. First, your baby must be able to drink from a bottle — if you breastfeed, please practise one bottle of expressed milk a day for at least six weeks before the start, and label every bottle with the name and date. Second, your baby must be able to sleep in a crib or bed on a flat surface in a sleeping bag; we don't use blankets or rock children to sleep. If your baby isn't there yet, our Teddy Kids Sleep Coach is happy to help, and we can postpone the start if needed. This is care, not policy for its own sake.

You get up to 10 free try-out days before your official start, so your baby can get to know the group, the teachers and the rhythm before daycare really begins. We shape the pace around your child: it might start with you and your baby exploring the group together for half an hour, then gradually longer stays on your baby's own. Early on, if your baby cries for more than 15 minutes we come and get you, pause for that day, and try again next time. Ten days is the full window, not a requirement — and if your baby needs more time, we extend by a week free of charge. Daycare begins when your child is ready.

We follow the Dutch staff-to-child ratios: 1 educator per 3 children up to 1 year, and 1 per 5 children aged 1 to 2. Trainees and activity leaders are always counted on top of these numbers, never instead of a qualified educator. Each group has fixed, familiar faces so your baby builds trust.

The youngest babies follow their own feeding and sleep rhythm, which you share with us during the try-out. From around six months a gentle, predictable flow usually emerges: arrival and a milk feed, fruit mid-morning, a morning nap, milk and lunch around midday, an afternoon milk feed and a small snack, then calm play until pick-up by 18:30. Most babies sleep 2.5–4 hours across the day, with the midday nap the longest. Babies sleep in their own bed in a sleeping bag — no blankets — and we settle them gently rather than rocking them; for safety, comfort items aren't allowed in the bed. Many children move to one daytime nap between 12 and 18 months.

We use the OPOL method ("one person, one language"): each group has a Dutch-speaking and an English-speaking educator who each speak only their own language. Our educators are trained to narrate everything they do, so your baby naturally links words to objects and actions in both languages. Children quickly learn which educator speaks which language.

We build your baby's menu around your instructions, from breast milk or formula through to solids. When the time is right for vegetables, fruit and bread, babies enjoy fresh, natural food from Moekes Maaltijd, a children's caterer in Utrecht. Meals are primarily vegetarian with designated meat days (full vegetarian on request), and ours is a 100% peanut-free environment. We accommodate dietary and cultural needs such as halal, dairy-free and allergy-safe in-house where possible, and arrange a bring-your-own plan by prior agreement where it isn't.

Each day one teacher leaves the group 15 minutes early to write the Daily Story — a short summary with one or two photos — shared via WhatsApp. We don't send morning messages and don't use phones during group time, so our full attention stays on the children; if something important happens we contact you straight away. Every child is given a mentor on day one (visible in the KidsKonnect parent app) and their own growth book with hand and footprints, first drawings and milestone notes. Want a longer conversation? Scan the QR code at the group entrance to request a meeting.

Children move up when they're ready, not by age alone — usually between 12 and 18 months. We look for signs such as being able to eat small pieces of food, napping independently in a bed, being comfortable with some solo play, relying less on bottles, and moving around confidently. We always plan the transition together with you so the move is smooth and well-timed.