“Tot ziens Mama - I’m off to play … at school!”

The following article looks at the Dutch equivalent of preschool, known as “peuterspeelzaal” (literal translation “toddlers’ playroom” or “playschool”), and considers what expatriate parents in Maastricht can expect should they choose to enrol their child(ren) in either of the private international preschool or the local council funded “peuterspeelzalen” (”playschools”).

Getting to know the Maastricht system of preschooling
Trying to make sense of how the Dutch organise school and play for children can be a daunting prospect, especially when the available information is mostly in Dutch. The Dutch way of doing things is different, and the education system in the Netherlands is neither so organised as in France and Germany, yet certainly not as flexible as either in Australia or the US.

An interesting difference is the age at which children can participate in preschool. In Germany or Australia, the earliest a child would be presented to preschool is three. In the UK, children must be a minimum of two years and nine months, and already comfortable with using the toilet rather than nappies. But in the Netherlands, playschools accept children from their second birthday onwards, nappies and all.

A child can expect to attend from either one to five mornings per week, although a requirement of many playschools, including the private international preschool in Maastricht, is a minimum two days per week attendance, until age four. Hours are usually 8.30am to 11.45am, weekdays, although a smaller playschool may only open three to four mornings a week due to lack of funding. Larger playschools offer afternoon attendance, usually two to three afternoons, from 1.30pm until 4pm, thanks to additional funding from the Maastricht local council.

The purpose of the playschool varies per institution, and the expectations of parents. While the Maastricht local council is responsible for implementing the guidelines set by The Hague, via its STEPS foundation (the overarching body of all the local playschools in Maastricht), each playschool determines the extent to which children engage in “free” as opposed to “organised” play, how much time is spent outside, how much time is spent in creative activities, and to what extent children are “socialised”, that is, expected to conform to adult social norms.

Parents can influence the role of the playschool, either through acting as voluntary assistants, participating in the events and activities organised for festivals, and meeting with the playschool leader to discuss development. Conversely, parents can also leave much of the influential role-modelling young children require for their development to the playschool leader.

Playrooms are effectively a cross-between part-time child care - with adult-child ratios varying from 1:3 in the smaller playschools, which rely on more voluntary involvement, up to 1:8 in the larger institutions and the private international preschool, depending on activity - and traditional playschool, where children begin to explore social interactions, refine motoric skills, and develop an interest in creative activities such as craftwork, drawing and painting, singing, and movement.

This ambiguity in the precise role played by the playschool arises not just through differences in approaches and expectations, but also because of the cost of the day care system (”kinderopvang”) available in the Netherlands: the government funded crèches or child care centres, which children can attend from age six weeks, all day every day, are much more expensive, and only families with working mothers are entitled to financial assistance.

Which preschool to choose?
Obviously, encouraging a child to attend preschool depends on a number of factors.

Does the child indicate an interest in interacting with other children and spending time away from mum or dad? Then preschool can be a great place to begin making friends. Is one parent or other primary carer available when or if the other parent is away? If not, then for full-time working parents day-care would be the most likely choice, and for a part-time parent, preschool could be an interesting and cheaper alternative. But of the 29 playschools, and the private Mosaic International Preschool, located in Maastricht, which one best suits expatriate requirements?

Language is a key factor. According to some expatriate parents, the need for communication in English by a native speaker is paramount. Other parents prefer their child(ren) to have access to the Dutch language, because it is within a Dutch environment that first friendships will be formed. One Dutch-US couple found a way to combine exposure to both languages by enrolling their child in the international preschool, whose head teacher speaks native English, for two days a week, and in the village playschool for the other two days a week. Says Dad: “This works really well, as our child makes friends here in the village with the other Dutch children and communicates with them in their language, but keeps contact with other international children as well via English.”

For another Dutch-US couple, the choice was clear. According to them: “We chose the local “peuterspeelzaal” where we live because the kids are all local and live near here, so after morning playschool, our child is out in the local playground with the same kids having fun. These kids will all go to the local primary school together too. We speak Dutch and English at home, so it wasn’t necessary to attend an English-speaking preschool.”

A French family wanted a totally English speaking environment: “We think it is important to get a grounding in English first, and worry about Dutch later. A lot of non-English speaking families send their kids to Mosaic, so we thought our child wouldn’t be at a disadvantage because all the children there have to get used to hearing English. And we know a few of the parents going there because we’ve met at the Maastricht International Playroup, so our child is already familiar with some of the children. He really enjoys playing there.”

Sometimes even Dutch parents from elsewhere in the country can feel like expatriates in Limburg, where local dialects are still widely used. Says one Dutch father: “Our kids weren’t enjoying the “peuterspeelzaal” environment, and we started wondering whether the issue was the amount of dialect being used in the classroom. The Limburg dialect can be very difficult to understand! Some of the other children and parents there only spoke dialect and some of the teachers were obviously more comfortable in dialect than in Dutch, although they assured us that Dutch was the official language in the school.”

However, language isn’t always the most important criterion. Flexibility can be crucial for some parents. The majority of the preschools have set drop-off and pick-up times, and children are expected to “get used” to a timetable and being without mum or dad within a few weeks of starting. Parents staying on as reassurance for their child isn’t encouraged. An Anglo-German couple recognised that their child wanted to play, but didn’t want to be left without either parent. “We needed to find a preschool where we could actively participate, as volunteers or similar. That wasn’t an option at the private international preschool, or most of the local “peuterspeelzalen” where we live. In fact, we were stunned to discover that we were expected to leave our child in a strange place at such a young age. This is totally unheard of anywhere else.”

The couple spent a a considerable amount of time visiting various playschools, eventually finding two that were more open to parental participation. “The Steiner “peuterspeelzaal” was amenable to this idea, but the only day available clashed with our other activities. In the end, we found a place at Itteren which happily accepted parents as volunteers on any day of the week it is open.”

The Steiner preschool enjoys considerable patronage from both local and expatriate parents, partly because of the Steiner method, partly because class leaders and assistants are usually fluent in a number of European languages, other than Dutch and English, and partly because of a child-centered approach to development and skills acquisition.

One Anglo-Dutch couple was ecstatic when their child was finally accepted (there is a three to six month waiting list at times): “We are so happy the Steiner preschool had a space available. The focus is on natural materials, nature, and a recreation of home life; we think it is important to have an appreciation for this. And it is a very large classroom, with lots of room to explore and play. The children aren’t expected to sit or “prepare” for primary school.”

Another Anglo-Spanish couple were also concerned that their child develop at its own pace: “The class leaders and assistants at the Steiner preschool have been really consistent in allowing our child to work out how to relate to other people, without using punishment, but rather encouraging desired behaviour. It can be slow process, but we are seeing and enjoying the benefits.”

This is a concern often heard. “There is a lot of emphasis on conformity from an extremely young age, especially where group size is large,” say the Anglo-German couple. “This attitude is suspect, according to recent research, so we weren’t keen to see our child being subjected to authoritarian or shaming types of discipline. Luckily the Dutch are in general much more accepting of “peuter puberteit”, as they call it, what would be for us the “terrible twos”. Marielle at Itteren has a very relaxed approach and directs the kids’ energy and desire to be in control into being helpful and responsible for certain tasks. And she has lots of useful advice for what to do at home, a big plus!”

But for some expatriate parents, who don’t have other family members in the vicinity to whom to turn when they need time for themselves or a younger child, preschool can simply appear as the easiest option. A French mother confessed: “Our son turned two just after the birth of our second child and I honestly couldn’t see myself taking care of both children all day long five days a week all by myself. My Dutch husband’ s family lives 200 kms from here… So I must admit that when our son started attending the local “peuterspeelzaal”, it was not so much because he wanted to himself, but more because I was afraid that it would be too hard for me to cope with a toddler, a new-born baby and all the household chores on my own. The two mornings a week break made a big difference to me being able to manage.”

According to another expatriate mother: “My husband’s job pays for the institutional child care, which is one of the reasons we didn’t take on an au pair, so the baby goes to crèche for a day, and the toddler to Mosaic for a few mornings a week, and I have time for my own activities.”

Unfortunately one bad experience can sometimes be off-putting. A Dutch-Brazilian couple decided against the local playschool for their third child, after the first two became unhappy after attending. “Perhaps the rules were too different from the ones our children were used to at home… maybe this inconsistency confused them,” the couple wonders. Luckily this unsuccessful experience at preschool does not seem to have had any impact on the ability to make friendships, as both older children are now happily integrated in the – more relaxed - local Dutch primary school, spending afternoons with school friends at local activities.

Ultimately, the Dutch “peuterspeelzaal” can be a terrific place for young expatriate children to learn the Dutch language - and the Limburg Province dialect! - and make local friends. It can also give parents a break for a few hours a day from the demands of their kids. In the case of the international preschool, Mosaic, it can encourage the acquisition of English for non-native speaking expatriate children within a multi-cultural environment. Above all, the “children’s playschool” should be a place for our kids to have fun.

By Gina Wuppermann

Gina Wuppermann, of mixed European and Australian origin, lives in Maastricht with her German husband and two year old daughter.

Further info:

Dutch Preschools in Maastricht:
STEPS peuterspeelzalen Maastricht
(website under reconstruction)
Fees: depending on income level, maximum payable per day EUR 8.71, no minimum attendance.

Itteren Peuterspeelzaal:
Class Leader Mariëlle Gerards
(2-4 years)
Sterkenbergweg 26
6223 GN Maastricht
Tel: 043 3641421

Steiner Preschool:
Peuterspeelzaal ‘t Zonnestraaltje
(2-4 years)
Leuvenlaan 35
Correspondence Address:
Postbus 1017
6201 BA Maastricht
Tel: 043 361 73 98

Private preschool:
Mosaic International Preschool:
Kelvinstraat 5
6227 VA Maastricht,
Tel: 043 361 8611

Fees, effective January 2007: Daily rate: EUR 10, minimum two days per week, quarterly advance payments, see website for more details.

The Mosaic International Preschool will shortly cease to be privately run, coming under the auspices of the MosaLira Foundation and being integrated into the Dutch-run Joppenhof Primary School’s International Department.

Related article:
What do a life jacket and the Maastricht International Playgroup have in common?