Together we grow stronger. On this news page we share the latest updates, inspiring ideas and innovative solutions to make your journey even better. From new courses to real-life examples: discover everything you need here.
Do you have a great story or a golden tip yourself? Let us know!
How do you address health problems among young people when part of the solution lies in collaboration with the social domain? During the free ‘Child to a Healthier Weight’ webinar on 29 October, learn more about the Child to a Healthier Weight approach, aimed at children who are overweight or obese and their families.
Making a delicious sandwich spread, growing vegetables in your own vegetable garden, visiting a farm. Would you like to work with the children in childcare or out-of-school care on the topic of healthy and sustainable nutrition? Childcare professionals who have been trained as Healthy Childcare Coaches through the Train-the-Trainer programme A Healthy Start can apply for a subsidy of up to €500.
The Traffic Maze was recently organized for primary schools in Hooghuis Park, together with the municipality of Etten-Leur. Despite the implementation of strict COVID-19 measures, it was still possible to organize the traffic maze.
In the Netherlands, on average 5 children per school class have a parent with mental health and/or addiction problems. These are known as Children of Parents with Mental Health Problems (KOPP) and Children of Parents with an Addiction (KOV). This amounts to 577,000 minor children every year. These children often find it difficult to talk about their home situation. The Trimbos Institute has developed a new series of information booklets for (expectant) parents and children aged 0–18 to help start the conversation about this. In addition to minor KOPP/KOV children (aged 0–18), there are also young adults (aged 18–24) and adults (aged 24 and over) whose parents have mental health problems or are addicted.
From 5 to 9 October, Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen, together with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, NOC*NSF, the Mulier Institute, KVLO and the VSG, is organising a themed week to draw more attention to the purpose and importance of Broad Motor Development (BMO). No fewer than seven webinars will cover interesting scientific backgrounds and many practical opportunities and possibilities for getting started with the topic of BMO right away.
What are schools in the Netherlands doing regarding students’ lifestyle, health and wellbeing? Maastricht University is mapping this in the ‘School approach to health and wellbeing’ study. To do so, it needs the help of schools in primary, secondary and vocational education. Will you help? You can participate by completing the questionnaire about your school location via www.gezondheidenwelzijn.nl before 1 December. As a thank-you, you will receive a report about your school. In it, you can see how your school is doing on each of the components examined in the study, compared with the national average.
Parental involvement in primary education (PO) works differently from that in secondary education (VO). This is shown by the research on which Inge van der Heul received her PhD on 1 October at the University of Groningen.
Professor Mark Levels (Maastricht University/ROA) investigates the interplay between health, education and work. He is trying to discover how we will learn and work in the future. During the livecast ‘From Ego to Eco’ by Alles is Gezondheid, which takes place on 3 November from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he will talk about growing up healthy, prevention in schools and the increasing importance of ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’.
Parents of children with support needs regularly face child protection measures. The Balans Parents’ Association therefore organised the working conference ‘Afraid of Pressure and Coercion’ on 14 September. Professionals from, among other fields, youth care and education discussed the use of pressure and coercion and the position of children and their parents in this regard. Marieke Boon of Ouders en Onderwijs wrote this report about it.
Nutrition lessons from a dietitian, a nutrition consultation for parents of preschoolers, exploring how primary schools can become healthier places, an additional height and weight measurement, and workshops on a healthy lifestyle. These are the five pillars of ‘Ik Lekker Fit’. The project is entering its third year this school year. It is a programme run by the municipality of Schagen, carried out by GGD Hollands Noorden and dietitian practice Dieet & Co, and supported by Melissa Deenstra. Melissa is a JOGG coordinator at Team Sportservice Schagen | Hollands Kroon. Her task is to teach young people how they can contribute to a healthier future themselves.
Children eat more vegetables and whole-grain and brown bread and drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages when they are offered lunch at school. This is shown by the ‘Healthy School Lunch’ project conducted by Wageningen University & Research and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In this project, children in the upper grades at three primary schools (in Amsterdam, Lunteren and Vlaardingen) were offered a healthy lunch for six months. All results were presented on Thursday, 24 September, during the online closing symposium of this project, A Healthy School Lunch in Practice.
How can you, as a healthcare or education professional, talk with parents of children about a healthy lifestyle? Glos Educatief created four visual discussion sheets on the themes of sleep, healthy nutrition, drinking water and exercise on behalf of GGDZHZ (Zuid-Holland-Zuid) and in collaboration with Jong JGZ as part of Doe ff gezond Dordrecht.
Children become healthier when they eat a healthy lunch at school, engage in varied physical activity and learn about healthy behaviour in the classroom. This is evident from the Healthy Primary School of the Future (GBT) project, whose final results were announced on Tuesday 22 September during a symposium in Venlo.
To gain more insight into the causes of, and possible solutions for, students unable to attend school, the Kohnstamm Institute is analysing decisions issued by the Disputes Committee for Appropriate Education. These concern disputes brought forward by parents relating to the admission to or removal of students from a school, or to the support offered by a school (primary/secondary education).
Almost six in ten children aged 9 to 13 in the Netherlands are or have been bullied. The vast majority of schoolchildren want more attention in the classroom for tackling bullying. They are asking for help to put an end to bullying in their environment or to stop bullying themselves. This is according to a representative study commissioned by NOS Jeugdjournaal among more than 1,000 children aged 9 to 13, conducted by research agency No Ties.
What are the consequences of coronavirus for professionals who work with children, young people and their parents? The Netherlands Youth Institute created a series of podcasts in which various professionals from the youth sector talk about their experiences and new insights. This podcast features a conversation with Hester van Toledo, a teacher of grades 3, 4 and 5 at a Montessori school. The interview took place in July 2020.
Children are eating less healthily, exercising less and have gained weight. This is shown by the COLC study (COVID-19, Obesity and Lifestyle in Children): research conducted by paediatricians at Maastricht UMC+. The study involved 189 children (and their parents) from across the country.
On 22 September 2020, National Outdoor Lesson Day will take place. Schools can already participate if they give at least one class one hour of outdoor lessons. In the meantime, 3,693 schools have already registered. National Outdoor Lesson Day is an initiative of Jantje Beton and IVN Nature Education.
During the 2020 Week Against Bullying (21 to 25 September) organized by the School & Safety Foundation, tackling bullying and working towards a safe school are central. This year’s motto is Taking joint responsibility. Together with their class, the team and the whole school, teachers are responsible for ensuring that everyone interacts with one another pleasantly again.
From 18 through 27 September, the NOC*NSF National Sports Week will take place. Primary schools can take part in the 10@10 Challenge during that week. Students will discover ten different sports in ten minutes, encouraged by elite athletes. Participation is free, and classes can register until 20 September. On 20 September, participants will receive the materials for the challenge. During National Sports Week, there will be a special School Day on Wednesday 23 September.
The month of October is dedicated to food. From 10–17 October, the annual Dutch Food Week takes place. For one week, attention is paid in the Netherlands to what is on our plates, as well as to the producers who make this possible. In addition, Sustainability Day and World Food Day take place this month. The ideal opportunity to dedicate a lesson or series of lessons to this topic for childcare, primary school, secondary education or MBO.
For a smooth transition from primary to secondary education, it is important that schools work together and that children become more involved. This is the conclusion reached by Marlau van Rens in her dissertation, which she defended on 4 September at Maastricht University.
During the holidays, on drizzly days, I enjoy watching films. I take my time for that and don't have to think about anything else for a while. At least not about my work, because I'm on holiday. And yet, apparently I can't completely let go of it, because two films – A Few Good Men and The Master – got me thinking this summer holiday. Both films addressed unwritten or unspoken rules, which once again made me think about my work for Anti-Bullying Week.
For the second year in a row, the municipality of Apeldoorn is helping schools make their schoolyards greener and more challenging. This year, nine applications for schoolyard funding were approved. This means that within the next year, another nine schoolyards will be transformed from paved expanses into green spaces that encourage play and exercise.
According to COC and Rutgers, there should be stricter educational standards for sex education and diversity. The organisations are making this appeal after Rutgers research found that although 98 percent of primary schools provide sex education, one-third of schools pay no attention to sexual diversity. It also emerged that only 40 percent of schools use a recognised teaching method specifically intended for relationship and sex education.
The Healthy Primary School of the Future has existed for 5 years. Therefore, the Symposium on the Healthy Primary School of the Future 2015–2020 will take place on Tuesday, 22 September, at the Maaspoort in Venlo. Due to the maximum number of 100 invitees, this symposium will take place simultaneously online and offline. The organizers have stipulated that participants who register first are entitled to attend the symposium in person. The chair of the day is Onno van Schayck, professor of preventive medicine at Maastricht University.
To determine whether a child may attend childcare or school after returning from holiday in an orange or red area, the Association of Parents in Childcare (BOinK), together with AJN Youth Doctors Netherlands, has created a decision tree for orange/red areas.
The schools have started again. As a young person, parent or professional, you may have questions about the start of the school year during the coronavirus pandemic. The Netherlands Youth Institute has compiled five frequently asked questions and answers.
Have you always wanted to know exactly what Griefelen entails? Then sign up for the webinar on 24 September. The developers – Eveline Beerkens and Dinco Verhelst – will host a VROEG webinar on the Griefelen method. At the heart of this practical, science-based approach is responding adequately to dysregulation resulting from stress in young children.
As a physical education teacher, you know that getting enough exercise can be a challenge for some children. But how can you guide and motivate your pupils in this? Rebecca Beck from the Knowledge Centre for Sport and Physical Activity has compiled some practical tools and tips that you can use as a teacher to help children adopt a healthy lifestyle.