On Monday 19 January, De Kleine Oever, the newest childcare centre of Kindercentrum vzw, welcomed its first group of children in Waardamme. The daycare centre, formerly known as ’t Wolkenhuisje, received its new name after a vote by parents, staff and the Board of Directors. With this takeover, Kindercentrum strengthens its presence in Oostkamp.

“The educational approach of the former owners fits perfectly with our mission,” says Tom Braet, director of Kindercentrum vzw. The previous owners, Tanja Van Buylaere, Caroline Corty and Marlies Dupan, hand over the centre with confidence: “We are happy that Kindercentrum vzw continues to build on our values.”

A place where children feel at home

De Kleine Oever offers a warm and safe environment where children can grow, explore and feel at home. From colourful play areas to quiet reading corners and fun activities, everything is adapted to the needs of each child.

Small start, big ambition

We start with a limited capacity so every child receives the personal attention they deserve. At the same time, we are working on expanding activities and infrastructure to welcome more children and help reduce the shortage of childcare places in Oostkamp.

Join our team!

We are looking for additional childcare workers to run De Kleine Oever at full capacity. More information can be found at kindercentrum.be/jobs.

Together, we are making De Kleine Oever a place where every child can shine, discover and grow with joy and care.

From 1 January 2026, Kindercentrum vzw will take over the former daycare centre ’t Wolkenhuisje in Waardamme. The daycare centre has a new name: De Kleine Oever. The name was chosen through a vote by parents, staff members and the Board of Directors.

With this takeover, Kindercentrum vzw strengthens its work in Oostkamp. The organisation already runs the daycare centre De Oostkampioentjes there. Director Tom Braet says Kindercentrum vzw wants to build on what already exists. The organisation also wants to offer more support and stability for children, parents and staff. The former owners hand over the daycare centre with confidence.

The need for childcare remains high. According to Opgroeien, Oostkamp has 41 childcare places for every 100 children aged 0 to 3. This is lower than the provincial average of 52. Kindercentrum vzw wants to help reduce this shortage. It does so through De Kleine Oever and a planned expansion at the Sint-Jozef site, in cooperation with WZC Sint-Jozef and Zorg H. Familie vzw.

Kindercentrum vzw is looking for extra childcare workers to bring De Kleine Oever to full capacity as soon as possible. More information can be found at kindercentrum.be/jobs.

On 23 September 2025, the new daycare centre De Oostkampioentjes was officially opened in Oostkamp. It is the twelfth daycare centre of Kindercentrum vzw and at the same time their very first one in Oostkamp.

For now, De Oostkampioentjes is located in the former caretaker’s house of event hall Boldershof, which is temporarily available. In the future, the daycare centre will move to the site of residential care centre Sint-Jozef. There, a brand-new facility for 42 children is being built. The unique location will become a place where generations meet, from the youngest babies to the seniors of the care centre.

The official opening was attended by mayor Jan Dekeyzer, alderman Sebastien Vande Ginste, the management of Sint-Jozef, board members of Kindercentrum vzw, parents and many supporters. General director Tom Braet highlighted the five core values of the organisation: welcome, growth, trust, co-creation and care.

The name Oostkampioentjes was chosen on purpose. It is a combination of Oostkamp and champions. As they say, “babies and toddlers are real champions: every day they achieve small victories, from their first step to their first word.”

With this new daycare centre, Kindercentrum vzw wants to respond to a strong local need. Oostkamp currently has only 39.6 childcare places per 100 children, which is well below the West Flanders average. In the future, and with extra subsidies, the organisation also hopes to open a daycare centre in Herstberge.

The official opening ended with a symbolic moment: the first bibs with the new logo were given to the mayor, the alderman, the chairperson of Kindercentrum vzw and the management of Sint-Jozef.

13 juli 2025

On Saturday 13 July, we celebrated a special moment: Mezennestje turned 52 years old! At Bar Buur, we brought together (grand)parents, children and staff – both former and current – for a warm and happy afternoon. There was fun, time to meet each other and many memories. We should have celebrated our official anniversary two years ago, but at that time we were very busy caring for the youngest children. As they say: better late than never. We celebrated with an even bigger and nicer party.

Over the past five decades, Mezennestje has grown in Wingene from a small childcare centre into a lively daycare where almost every generation knows someone who once played on the play mat or dreamed at the craft table. We look back with pride on many years of care, play and friendship. Above all, we are very thankful to all the staff members and parents who helped build this warm story.

At the same time, we look to the future with great excitement. The future of Mezennestje is slowly taking shape in Nieuwstraat. There, we are building a brand-new location together with the Centrumschool. The new building will be right next to the kindergarten classrooms. This will help children move more easily from childcare to school. It is a beautiful example of how we continue to focus on connection and growth – even after 52 years.

2 juli 2025

We are proud and very happy to announce that GO! Leefschool Het Biezebos will join the Kindercentrum family starting September 2025! Together with the school, we will provide warm and high-quality after-school care at the school site on Zultseweg 11 in Waregem. Our mascot KIKI already came by to say hello and gave the new place his happiest smile. 😊

Together with the school team, we are building a place where children feel at home. A place where play and experiences are important and where parents can feel safe and relaxed. Our staff create a caring and reliable environment, following the vision of Kindercentrum and the teaching style of Het Biezebos. Children have space to grow, relax, or play after a school day.

At Kindercentrum, we believe free play is a powerful way to learn. In the after-school care, children choose what and with whom they want to play: from crafts to building, from role play to playing outside. Staff are nearby, encourage interaction, and make sure the environment is safe and welcoming. Every child can be themselves. Together, we build a strong foundation for social and emotional well-being.

30 juni 2025

Kindercentrum vzw is responding to the growing demand for childcare in Zwevezele with a new location: IeneMieneMutte 3, at Hille 1A, across from the current locations IeneMieneMutte and Tien pond grutten. The official opening is planned for 1 September 2025.

“This expansion allows us to organize smaller groups of about 14 children across three locations,” says general director Tom Braet. “This improves the quality of our care and increases our capacity from 36 to 42 places. This way, we can support about 60 families.”

The expansion is needed: in Flanders, there are on average 45.7 childcare places per 100 children aged 0 to 3. In Zwevezele, there are only 37. Kindercentrum wants to help reduce this shortage and give families nearby better access to quality childcare.

Kindercentrum vzw already runs four daycare centres in Wingene. Soon, with 127 of the 349 childcare places in the municipality, the organisation will play a key role. “We are the largest provider of group childcare in the region,” says Braet. The number of childminders has fallen to only eight.

New names, familiar care

To make the structure clearer, the locations will be renamed from 1 July:

• IeneMieneMutte → IeneMieneMutte 1

• Tien pond grutten → IeneMieneMutte 2

• New location → IeneMieneMutte 3

“Soon, the nursery rhyme will literally sound across the streets of Zwevezele,” smiles Braet. “What started as one warm place is now a happy trio – all close together.”

In the long term, the goal is to bring the three locations together into one large daycare at Hille. Preparations have already started.

Growth ambitions in the region

2025 will be a year of expansion for Kindercentrum. Besides Zwevezele, the organisation is exploring opportunities in Oostkamp, Lichtervelde and Waregem. It is also expanding its area to Mid-West and Leiedal, and is open to new startups or takeovers.

29 april 2024

In April 2024, Kindercentrum received the ‘Reference Certificate for Inclusive Enterprise’! Our organisation believes in the power of inclusive work and invests in the growth of all its employees in every way possible.

At the beginning of this year, Kindercentrum started job coaching for all staff who guide interns. This investment not only helps staff learn new skills and tools, but also builds a culture where everyone feels welcome, valued and respected.

Are you looking for a company that invests in your growth and development? Do you want to be part of an inclusive workplace where everyone has the chance to grow? Then Kindercentrum is the right place for you!

Visit kindercentrum.be/jobs to learn more and find out how you can join the amazing Kindercentrum team!

Since March 1, 2024, Kindercentrum vzw has taken over the Elfenbron daycare center in Desselgem after approval from Kind en Gezin. Its operation was moved to  Vlasbloempje daycare center in Beveren-Leie, where 3 groups of 18 children each are currently active.

Kindercentrum is pleased to welcome all these new friends to the brand new daycare group that it has called "De Elfjes", in line with the Elfenbron.

The new daycare group with room for 18 children opened officialy on Monday, March 4. This means that Vlasbloempje expands from 54 to 72 children.

If all goes well, work will start in April '24 in Vlasbloempje so that a fifth daycare group can be opened after the summer. This is to reduce the child ratio per daycare group from 18 to 14 children.

Following some unfortunate statements from political leaders and clear signals that there is no willingness to give extra funds to our childcare sector, it was time to make our voice heard.

Several initiators, including SOM, the federation of social enterprises, decided to start a petition with 7 concrete demands:

1. Fewer children per caregiver

2. Better staff training

3. Better pay and working conditions

4. Differentiated support for children

5. More choice and higher quality childcare

6. Financially sustainable childcare

7. Monitoring of teaching quality

In just a few days, we collected 35,000 signatures together. Kindercentrum also actively participated and shared the petition with all staff, parents, and stakeholders. A successful mission!

The support for more funding is clearly strong in Flanders. The signatures will now be handed over to the office of Minister-President Jan Jambon. We hope this will be a turning point for our sector and lead to a positive statement in September.

Our children and staff deserve more and better!

On March 2, 2023, our director Tom Braet attended a meeting with Minister Hilde Crevits, along with other organizers and childcare policy officers, to discuss high-quality childcare, both now and in the future. Kindercentrum vzw is part of various advisory boards in order to promote quality childcare.

On September 24, 2022, Kindercentrum vzw celebrated its 50th anniversary in a grand gala VIP event.

We celebrated alongside our employees, suppliers, partners, and parents at Expo Waregem.

With the additional income, Kindercentrum vzw was able to further invest in Hop Up play equipment. Hop Up is an innovative play concept for institutions and organizations where children between the ages of 3 and 12 can play, learn, and experience. With the Hop Up "Playgrounds," a collection of modular play elements, children have the opportunity to unleash their creativity, even in sensory-friendly environments.

These play environments provide children with the time and space to fully engage in active play, even after school hours in the school setting. Through the "Playgrounds," every child becomes an empowered explorer and resourceful architect of their own play environment. This contributes to the developmental opportunities of children.

Hop Up is recyclable and entirely "Made in Belgium." For the production of Hop Up, collaboration takes place with social economy enterprises.

Additionally, at the beginning of October 2022, we also visited Plopsaland De Panne so that the children could celebrate with us. Around 150 underprivileged families were given the opportunity to join us for free.

On February 3rd, Kindercentrum vzw embarked on the KC Airlines flight to new horizons: ORCA. After an intense period of surveys among employees, coaching and workshops, we were able to introduce our new staff vision together. And we’re proud of it!

Read more about our new staff vision here.