Every organisation has a Healthy Childcare coach

Healthy Childcare means working together effectively to promote healthy development. Because every child deserves a healthy start! The Healthy Childcare programme supports childcare organisations in working structurally on a healthy lifestyle for children aged 0–12 and on the expertise of staff. The programme’s ambition is for every childcare organisation in the Netherlands to have a trained Healthy Childcare coach and for attention to a healthy lifestyle in day care and out-of-school care to be taken for granted.

The coach is central to Healthy Childcare

The Healthy Childcare train-the-trainer programme trains staff to become coaches. A trained coach provides the Healthy Start training, part of Healthy Childcare, to colleagues. Together, they learn how to create a healthy, active and safe environment with parents and children, and how to set a healthy example themselves. More than 1,000 coaches have already been trained.

The Healthy Childcare Action Plan on Gezondekinderopvang.nl gives staff members and managers insight into what they can do to make a healthy lifestyle a genuine part of daily practice and policy in childcare.

The Healthy Childcare programme supports coaches with the expertise of ambassadors and with peer consultation days. It also provides a digital learning environment, monthly news updates, the Healthy Childcare monitor and an online helpdesk.

Figures and facts 2017–2020 Reference date: 1 October 2020

  • Train-the-trainer sessions 83
  • Trained coaches 1028
  • Organisations 687
  • Website rating 8
  • Topics often worked on: nutrition, physical activity, hygiene, sun protection

Results of the Healthy Childcare programme

Awareness of Healthy Childcare and Gezondekinderopvang.nl is high among childcare staff. The website user survey showed that 85% of participants were familiar with Healthy Childcare and Gezondekinderopvang.nl.

Participants in the user survey gave Gezondekinderopvang.nl a rating of 8. Childcare staff members and managers consider the Healthy Childcare website complete, clear, practical and up to date, and appreciate its attractive appearance.

Gezondekinderopvang.nl is becoming increasingly easy to find. In 2020, the website attracted more than 10,000 visitors per month. Visitors stay on the website for a relatively long time on average—around four minutes.

Eight train-the-trainer sessions were held for vocational education teachers in Educational Work. During these sessions, we trained 96 teachers in Healthy Childcare. This ensures that attention to a healthy lifestyle is part of the training of future childcare professionals.

Every year, Healthy Childcare organised peer consultation days for coaches. Sharing experiences, as well as exploring a lifestyle topic in greater depth, such as physical activity among very young children, are the aspects coaches value most. Due to COVID-19, Healthy Childcare organised an online peer consultation week for coaches in 2020, with online workshops, webinars and question-and-answer sessions on a range of topics. More than 200 coaches, one fifth of the total number of coaches, took part in one or more sessions. The online week received a high rating, particularly for its interactivity, working in smaller groups and varied programme.

At the beginning of November 2020, State Secretary Paul Blokhuis (VWS) digitally launched the Healthy Childcare celebration. Almost 10,000 children from more than 100 childcare locations sang and danced together to the Healthy Childcare song ‘Join in and dream!’ via a livestream. In this way, Healthy Childcare celebrated everything achieved over the past four years and the continuation of the Healthy Childcare programme.

Of the coaches, 95 percent feel capable of providing the training to colleagues. According to coaches, Healthy Childcare creates enthusiasm and awareness, support through the training, and up-to-date policy.

The Healthy Childcare programme is an initiative of the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport and Social Affairs and Employment. National knowledge and research institutes implement it jointly, with support from sector and umbrella organisations. We also work together with national programmes. Coordination is provided by RIVM and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.

Healthy Childcare partners

The partners below make a structural contribution to further developing the Healthy Childcare approach and training and to implementing the programme activities. This includes providing train-the-trainer courses, peer consultation days and planning:

Ambassadors

Healthy Childcare works with ambassadors from the field. These ambassadors work at Kinderopvang Kivido, KMN Kind en Co, Kindercentrum Petito’s, Ska, Kinderdagopvang Hoi Pipeloi and mboRijnland.

Involved in the Gezondekinderopvang.nl website

Experts from national thematic institutes and knowledge organisations work with RIVM to keep the thematic pages on Gezondekinderopvang.nl up to date for day care and out-of-school care.

The organisations involved are: IVN, Skin Fund, Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity, Dutch Cancer Society, National Centre for Hygiene and Safety, Netherlands Youth Institute, Rutgers, Sardes, Trimbos Institute, VeiligheidNL and Netherlands Nutrition Centre.

Other parties involved

The following organisations contribute to the development of Healthy Childcare and/or participate in planning: BOinK, Childcare Branch Organisation, Branch Association for Social Childcare and GGD GHOR Netherlands. Healthy Childcare also works together with national programmes, including Healthy School, JOGG and Young Learning to Eat.