Mandy Braun works as a coordinator and adviser at GGD South Limburg in the Health Promotion department. A large number of JOGG coordinators work in that department. She is also a JOGG coordinator herself in two JOGG municipalities, Heerlen and Simpelveld. “In Heerlen, in my role as a JOGG coordinator, I built a relationship with various childcare organisations, including Peuteropvang Heerlen. Peuteropvang Heerlen has around 20 locations with approximately 750 toddlers. In 2016, Ingrid van den Bunder, director-manager of Communications & Innovation at Peuteropvang Heerlen, came up with the idea for a Toddler4Day. That was a good idea for two reasons: firstly, toddlers are perfectly capable of walking but do it too little, and secondly, it fits perfectly with the JOGG theme ‘Just get moving for free’.”

Simone Gerono is the regional coordinator for JOGG in Limburg. She supports the JOGG coordinators and coaches new JOGG municipalities. Together with the national JOGG adviser, she encourages more and more municipalities in Limburg to embrace the JOGG approach. “Limburg now has 72% coverage, while nationally that percentage is slightly more than half. In South Limburg, all municipalities are JOGG municipalities, which leads to tremendous regional cooperation. My task is to bring initiatives such as Toddler4Day together and make them bigger by using my contacts and networks. For example, by looking at whether cooperation is possible. A good example is the Royal Dutch Walking Association, which indicated in 2021 that it would like to help further develop Toddler4Day.”

The first edition of Toddler4Day took place in Heerlen in 2016. Braun: “Because Peuteropvang Heerlen has 20 locations, we immediately had a large reach. Since not every child attends childcare for four days, we asked parents in a letter to walk and register the missing days at home via the Ommetje app.” Afterwards, all the toddlers receive a medal and a certificate.

Toddlers from Jij en ik daycare centre, 11 June 2021 in Bocholtz. For safety reasons, they walk using a walking rope.

Walking in their own surroundings

There is a major difference between the Evening4Day and Toddler4Day. The Evening4Day is a central event held outside school hours, while Toddler4Day takes place during childcare hours and in the immediate vicinity of the childcare centre. Braun: “The real aim is to open the childcare centre’s door and then walk around your location. If you do that at the toddler’s pace, you soon reach fifteen minutes of exercise.” She enjoys the enthusiastic reactions: “In 2021, I walked along in Simpelveld and we immediately found ourselves among the cows. The childcare worker exclaimed: how wonderful this is!” At the same time, Braun was also surprised by the reaction: “I thought: you are in such beautiful surroundings, but you never do this!” She hopes that, as a result of this positive experience, childcare workers will also go outside more with the toddlers during the other weeks of the year. Gerono adds: “At JOGG, we also want to make the working environment healthier, and during Toddler4Day the childcare professionals walk along too—a great way for them to become active themselves.” Naturally, safety comes first, and “we therefore recommend having toddlers walk using a walking rope.” Gerono also considers it important that the locations themselves are responsible for their route. “By not organising it centrally, it remains accessible, and the childcare centres can also go for a walk more often and preferably on a regular basis. Moreover, organisationally it is easier than walking a centrally designated route, because that takes travel and childcare time.”

KWbN

In 2021, during the fifth-anniversary edition, around 5,500 toddlers from 16 municipalities in South Limburg took part. That year, the Limburg branch of the Royal Dutch Walking Association (KWbN) donated the medals. Gerono: “On that occasion, they immediately said: we cannot keep doing this. However, we then came into contact with the national association, which indicated that it would be happy to get involved. We soon noticed, though, that the local KWbN associations and committees are used to setting out a central route that people travel to and walk. For Toddler4Day, it is important that the walk around the childcare centre remains the starting point. It is important that the childcare centre or playgroup organises it itself, both for practical reasons and because of intrinsic motivation.” Braun adds that other principles also remain in place: “Every toddler receives a medal and a certificate. They also receive a stamp card on which they get a stamp or sticker every day to show that they have walked. At the location, preparations for Toddler4Day begin beforehand by decorating the premises with colouring sheets and discussing and experiencing the importance of exercise with the toddlers. We also hope that this will encourage parents to go walking more with their child. We told the KWbN that these elements really must remain.” Gerono then once again emphasises the importance of the medal: “For some children, this will be the only medal they receive in their lives, because they are not the best at sports, do not have the opportunity to play sports, or do not have the luxury of parents taking them to events such as the Evening4Day.” Gerono then points to another effect: “It is the same as with ‘seeing food makes you eat’. Children who do not like walking will do it when everyone else is doing it.” Braun: “Parents often say: my toddler cannot walk that far. Just wait and see: they really can!”

The cooperation with the KWbN has resulted in a website being available since 1 April, www.peuter4daagse.nl, where all playgroups and childcare centres in the Netherlands can register. They can also order medals there for a fee. Gerono: “In 2022, the medals are still free in Limburg thanks to municipal contributions and donations from service clubs. In the coming years, we hope that the playgroups and childcare centres will consider them important enough to purchase the medals themselves.” An additional benefit is that, when registering and ordering the medals, the organisations can also use the free promotional materials described above.

Braun advises allowing toddlers who cannot yet walk along to take part in a pushchair. “This way, they are still part of the group. They will indicate themselves when they are able to walk along independently.” There can also be variation in timing. Gerono: “A good example of this is Venlo: there, the playgroup holds Toddler4Day when the parents come to pick up their children. The parents are invited to walk along with their child.”

Celebration

In Heerlen, Toddler4Day is turned into a real celebration, Braun explains: “Toddler4Day is part of Activity Week there. Chants are created, and the toddlers often dress up. Heerlen also has an enthusiastic alderman who attends the event every year.” For many young parents, enjoying walking is not yet part of their routine because they lead very busy lives. Yet, when you look through a toddler’s eyes, walking naturally becomes a celebration because there is always something to see.” Braun: “The same applies to some childcare professionals who seem to have forgotten how simple it can sometimes be to get children moving. Toddler4Day shows that you really only need to open the door and go outside.” The Healthy Childcare coach also plays an important role in this. Gerono: “They help keep the topics of exercise, healthy behaviour and healthy nutrition for toddlers on the agenda.” Braun: “At the same time, we realise that such a change takes time. Our goal, however, is for exercise to become normal for toddlers. At home and at the childcare centre or playgroup. Toddler4Day is a wonderful way to achieve that goal.” Gerono: “Moreover, it is such a wonderful event that we want every toddler to have that experience!”

Healthy Youth Week

Toddler4Day can be organised between 16 May and 30 June 2022. However, Healthy Youth Week (7 to 11 June) is an ideal time to hold the toddler event. Childcare centres and playgroups are therefore specifically encouraged to schedule Toddler4Day during Healthy Youth Week.

Opening photo: Toddler4Day at ZOET daycare centre, 7 June 2021 in Voerendaal, attended by Erben Wennemars.