Screaming children in ‘rabbit cages’ at the Blaricum nursery Blooming cause complaints from local residents. People who live opposite the reception location on the water speak of a lot of noise nuisance from the crying children and screaming teachers, and there is indignation about sleeping outside. Even the garden of the childcare center leads to discussion.
The complaints mainly come from social media. A number of people on the other side of the water are experiencing nuisance from children sleeping outside in the garden. In ‘rabbit cages’, as one local resident puts it.
Complain widely
At least, the babies should be sleeping, but according to some local residents, the children cry and scream nonstop when they are outside in their pen. To top it all off, the noise nuisance would be amplified by ‘screaming teachers’.
Someone in the neighborhood also complains about the green fence that has been removed by the daycare center and which has been replaced by an ‘ugly’ green fence. “This is not the green, as it is intended as a boundary”, says the complainant.
Safety first
First over the hedge. Jessica de Vink, director of Blooming, confirms that the hedge has been removed and a fence has been put in its place. But with the drama that took place in Huizen last April in mind, involving a child drowned in nearby water, De Vink says the fence was placed for safety. A green hedge will be placed again to hide the fence from view.
The entire garden has only just been completed, with all ‘stimulants’ removed. Only now, because of the time of year, planting a hedge is still not recommended by gardeners. But as De Vink says: “It is the intention that everything has a green and natural appearance”.
As for the ‘rabbit hutches’, the director, who also owns three childcare locations, says she understands the confusion in the neighborhood about the ‘hutches’. There is a screen in front of it, which makes it look like the beds are closed from a distance. De Vink likes to invite local residents to come and see the outdoor beds. They meet all conceivable requirements and comfort and it has been found that children sleep very well outside.
Peace
The childcare also does everything it can to keep the peace. “We pay a lot of attention to screaming babies, we don’t like that ourselves and it’s not good for the child,” explains De Vink, “But babies do communicate through crying, which is sometimes part of it. But we monitor this very closely. Good.”
At the location, children are not sleeping outside in the garden all day and of course the teachers do not shout at the babies.
Not all local residents are against the daycare center. There are also nuanced opinions among the reactions on Facebook. For example, there are some who find the sound of the babies not too bad and they find the ‘Scandinavian model’ of letting children sleep outside very healthy. Many people also indicate that it is better to have a conversation with the day care center itself first.
playground
It is striking that a playground for children has been built at the adjacent restaurant Bruis. This playground is therefore not part of the daycare center, but in the summer it still produces some decibels from playing children.
De Vink is familiar with the complaints from the neighbourhood, because she is also a member of the relevant Facebook group. She and employees of the reception center have invited local residents to come by to see how things are going. But so far no one has visited.