The Department is responsible for managing the operation and development of the all childcare services as well as conducting pedagogical and financial supervision of all forms of childcare for children 0-5 years of age residing in Rudersdal Municipality. However, the financial supervision does not include private facilities. For private childcare schemes, the Department approves the agreement between the childcare facility and the individual parents.
All types of childcare facilities for children of the ages 0 to 5-years old are established and run in accordance with the regulations of the Childcare Facilities Act. The Act came into force August 1 of 2007 and has been revised several times, most recently with the introduction of a healthy meal for all children.
The Municipality has furthermore adopted a number of policies applicable to the child care area. This concerns a Childcare Policy, Playground Policy, vision for the planning of the childcare facilities’ physical settings and location, Food and Meals Policy and the cross-disciplinary Children and Youth Policy.
The key value for all the work with children in the age group 0 to 5 years, is for the Municipality’s leaders and employees to provide for a childcare services area where all children have a physical, psychological and aesthetic environment that promotes their well-being, health, development, and learning. This will take place in cooperation with the children’s parents.
The Municipality’s Childcare Policy states that the pedagogical quality of the childcare must be among the best in the country.
Additionally, Rudersdal Municipality has formulated the following values for childcare, including all forms of child care services:
Childcare Values:
- Each childcare provision has its own independent values for the development, learning and formation of toddlers
- The childcare provision is inclusive. Children with special needs must remain in the local area and immediate environment as long as this is to the benefit of the child in consideration of the children’s group.
- Management, personnel and parents cooperate to create the best possible conditions for the children’s group and the individual child
- Diversity is a strength, understood as diversity in pedagogy, opening hours and different forms of childcare
Rudersdal Municipality’s characteristics are:
- To be an attractive workplace
- To be an effective organisation
- To have competent employees and quality in the work
- To have forward-looking management at all levels
Within this complete framework, all nurseries must organise their management work, implement their pedagogical work as well as develop their cooperation with parents and the boards.
Notes:
1) An independent nursery is a provision established on basis of its own values and approach to child education, e.g. Rudolph Steiner. On the basis of an operational agreement with the Municipality, it receives financial support and must comply with the Childcare Facilities Act.
2) “Ruderen” is a consolidation of 6 independent nurseries
3)Parent-run childcare services
Municipal facility structure
The municipal childcare facilities are split into 7 districts with 4 to 8 nurseries in each district. Each district has one parents’ association, one budget and one District Manager. Each district is responsible for hiring of all nursery managers and staff needed by the nurseries within that particular district. Each district also has a Parents’ Association as part of its management. The Parents’ Association can decide if each nursery must have its own Parent’s advisory council.
Independent nurseries
Thirteen independent nurseries have operation agreements with the Municipality.
In 2009, the Board approved the operational, collective agreement for the independent nursery “Ruderen”.
Childminders (family care)
Childminders have two play-rooms where the childminders (and children) meet once every week. The play-rooms are located in own facilities at Kajerød School and at Nærumvænge by Nærum School. They are open all day. The childminders assist each other during holidays or time off in lieu.
Private childcare, private childcare, and optional choice across municipal borders
A budget has been set aside for the subsidy of private childcare, private childcare schemes and for the caring of own children. In this way, parents can choose to receive subsidy for childcare in their own homes as an alternative to a place in a municipal or independent nursery. The private schemes need only comply with the objectives in the Childcare Facilities Act.
Montessori Children’s Centre and the Rudolf Steiner Childcare Centre, “Rønnebærhuset”, are established as pool schemes under the earlier legislation. It is not possible to establish new pool schemes.
Agreements have been made with two privately run provisions, “Søllerød Skovbørnehave” and “Gøngehesten”, which were both pool schemes previously.
Pool schemes and privately run provisions enrol children themselves and keep their own waiting lists. Pursuant to the Childcare Facilities Act, the four schemes cannot be included in the municipal childcare guarantee. (A family is guaranteed a place at a nursery geographically located near to their home.)
Finally, parents have the possibility of making use of the optional choice across the municipal border by applying for registration on waiting lists for other municipalities’ childcare services.
Previous calculations show that parents of between 50 and 100 children have used the option of having a municipal subsidy for a place in another municipality. In December 2009, 53 children attended childcare facilities in Rudersdal, even though they reside in another municipality. Most often this concerns families that have moved, who for a transitional period prefer to keep their child in familiar settings.