Frequently Asked Questions - ZEIN International Childcare

We are always happy to answer questions in person, over the phone or by email, but before you contact us you may like to take a look at the list below to see if your question has already been answered… If you do not find the information you are looking for here please do not hesitate to contact us.

GENERAL - Do you have waiting lists?

Although across our locations we have places available for all our services, there are some combinations where waiting lists currently exist. It is important to note, however, that as we serve a transient, internationally mobile community, places frequently become available throughout the year.

Siblings of current Zein children have priority for entry and, at our Day Care located on the BSN Leidschenveen Campus (The Willows), we give priority to those children registered for the British School.

Please contact us to check availability for the location and service you are interested in.

GENERAL - What are your Opening Hours?

Zein Child Care is open on all working days from Monday to Friday:

Day Care: from 07:30 to 18:30 hrs. at The Estate, The Maples and The Willows and The Little Castle.

Pre-School:
The Estate: Mon-Fri, 08:00 – 12:30
The Maples; Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 08:00 – 12:30
Wednesday: 08:00 – 11:45

After School Care : from 15.00 (or earlier on early dismissal days) to 18.30

Holiday Camps / Care: from 8:00 to 18:30 hrs.

GENERAL - Do you offer a sibling discount?

We do not offer a sibling discount as the cost of care does not differ per sibling… You may like to know however that the Dutch Child Care Allowance offer significant additional savings for siblings, so in reality, a sibling discount is already applied to our fees if you make use of the allowance.

GENERAL - Do you only speak English to the children?

Following many years of experience in providing a specially designed internationally-oriented approach to English-speaking childcare, we now also offer an additional option of bilingual (Eng-Dutch) After School Care groups at The Estate in Benoordenhout.

GENERAL - Can I have a refund when I do not use a day?

If you receive a confirmed place for your child then the day/days that you have in your contract are reserved exclusively for your child. We also plan in the correct amount of staff for the expected number of children and cannot cancel our care givers when children do not turn up. This situation is the same regardless of the service you are using. For these reasons we cannot refund any day or days that you decide not to use.

If you wish to permanently change the amount of days that your child attends then you can do so giving one full calendar month notice, subject to availability if more days are required.

DAY CARE - Is it possible to just pay the attended hours instead of a full day?

No, in order to ensure our staffing ratios and high level of service we offer full care days only. Whilst parents are free to collect or bring their child at any time during the day, if circumstances dictate, you will still be invoiced for the full day.

DAY CARE - What is your staff to child ratio?

In Day Care, we have 3 members of staff per group when the maximum number of children in a group varies from 13-16. We work with an early, middle, late shift arrangement which is organised as follows:

Carer 1 07:30 – 17:00

Carer 2 08:45 – 17:45 or 09:00 – 18:00 (times dependent on the needs of the group)

Carer 3 09:30 – 18:30

We have 2 member of staff per group when the maximum of children in group is 12.

OUT OF SCHOOL CARE - Can we swap days?

Click the link for more information about our credit policy.

AFTER SCHOOL CARE - I would like my child to attend ASC on different days each week, is that possible?

No, we plan our groups and staffing carefully and need to have a clear view of the number of children attending each day. On application you will be asked to specify which days of the week you would like care for your child.

Subject to places being available, and a reasonable notice period, it is possible to request additional days or (on occasion) to swap a day. Day swaps and extra days are handled by our Admissions Team who can be contacted via [email protected]

AFTER SCHOOL CARE - My child attends a Dutch school nearby one of your locations. Can they attend your After School Care?

Our After School Care service is linked directly with specific schools – we pick up from a number of Dutch schools and details of the schools we serve can be found here.

If your child attends a school not on this list then, unfortunately, they cannot attend our After School Care. They are welcome, however, to attend any of our locations for Holiday Camps. If you are interested in this type of Out of School Care (buitenschoolseopvang) for your child please contact us and we will be happy to advise you.

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