Emergency childcare
To our regret, we will have to close our doors from Wednesday 16 December, until at least 18 January 2021, as a result of Covid-19. The closure is not due to the number of infections in the nursery, but to the restriction of travel movements and parental contacts.
As in the spring, from Wednesday 16 December, we will once again organise an emergency shelter at the Bloem location at Waalstraat 9, only for children of parents with a crucial occupation as listed by the central government. This means that these are parents who have indispensable facility or support functions with regard to one of the crucial professions.
Children of parents who both have a crucial profession can make use of emergency care on their regular days. Children whose parents have a crucial occupation should be cared for at home as much as possible. Parents with a crucial occupation who are currently on maternity leave cannot make use of emergency care.
Extra emergency care, outside the contract days, can only be offered if there is sufficient availability. Parents can register for emergency care via (this also applies to parents of Altijd Lente). The emergency care on the Waalstraat is for both Bloem and Altijd Lente children from a total of 5 locations.
In week 53 our childcare will be closed (also for emergency care) as previously announced. As a result of the compensation you will receive for all missed childcare days during the closure, the credit days from week 53 will be cancelled.
Compensation scheme for parents with childcare allowance
Parents are urged, as in spring, to pay invoices and not to reverse collections, only then will the right to compensation from the government and Bloem/Altijd Lente continue to exist. The arrangement is the same as in spring. This means that you will automatically receive your own contribution back from the government (via the SVB) (up to the maximum childcare allowance of 8.17EURO per hour in 2020 and 8.46EURO per hour in 2021). Everything above that will be returned from Bloem\ Altijd Lente in February 2021, as soon as it is clear how long the closure has lasted
Compensation scheme for parents without childcare allowance
There is a small group of parents who have not yet received full compensation for the closure last spring. This group has made use of childcare and has borne the costs of childcare entirely on their own. It is expected that it concerns parents of approximately 8,000 children.
The Cabinet considers it desirable that these persons, who have continued to pay child care bills during the closure this spring, receive an allowance. For the new closure period from 16 December 2020, these persons will also receive an allowance, provided that they have continued to pay their childcare bills, just like parents with childcare allowance or who make use of childcare via the municipality.
In the scheme that is being worked out, an allowance can be received on request. It goes without saying that the scheme offers both an allowance for the period in the spring and closure on 16 December. This is currently being worked out. The Social Insurance Bank (SVB) will implement this scheme. In January 2021 more will be known about when an application can be submitted to the SVB and when the allowance will be paid out.
For more information we advise you to register with Boink
In conclusion
We urge everyone to apply for emergency shelter only if there really is no other option, so that we can also allow our staff to travel as little as possible to the emergency shelter and thus contribute to a rapid reduction in the number of infections. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very good and healthy 2021, despite this new setback, stay healthy and see you soon!