Simcha is a Jewish Childcare facility that
Our professional staff are not all Jewish and being Jewish is not a condition required to come and work with us.
We see our mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish staff as a bonus.
On the Team page, the staff introduce themselves in their own words.
Active Management Boardd
We are a private childcare facility with an active board that does not steer remotely but is regularly to be found in the centre. The daily management is in the hands of our Location Manager. She has her office in the building and her door is always open for questions, comments, tips etc.
It is about the children
At Simcha it is about the children. Their need for safety, security and trust is the corner stone of everything we do. If a child feels safe, he or she can begin to build trust in the environment and in him/herself, which in turn leads to the child daring to explore from the safety of this basis and try new things. This will lead to a child being able to practice his/her new skills and develop further.
Educational Policy
In the Educational policy section you may read about our Educational Policy and how we put our vision into practice. As the implementation of this is very different for a toddler, rather than a school-going child, we have drawn up separate policies for each type of childcare.
KDV beleid
BSO beleid
Team
We have a great team of permanent staff who know how to make every day a delight for your child. We look after and guide your child in everything they want to discover with great pleasure and a lot of patience.
Here they are:
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Simone
Hallo, I am Simone. I have been working at Simcha for a year already! I worked for 10 years at the Sinai-school in Munich and then for 2 years at Zwi Peres Chai School in Vienna. I can now be found in the after-school care at Simcha. I love playing and doing crafts with the children! The Jewish atmosphere is very important to me and is a reason to work here!
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Esmé
Hallo I am Esmé and I have been working as a member of the education staff at Simcha since 2020. Before this I worked at a vocational school in Almere which I did for 15 years. I worked a few times at Simcha through Tinteltuin and when a vacancy opened up, I was fortunate to be taken on. My group is Toekie. I really enjoy the toddlers. The interaction, and the motivation to teach them is very high. There is something new every day. I hope to be a member of the Simcha team for a long time to come!
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Chen
Hallo, I am Chen and I have been working at Simcha for three years now. I finished my studies, a BA in Education – education and creativity – in Israel in 2004 and I moved to the Netherlands in 2009.
I believe that children are like seeds and that we, the teachers, have to discover what kind of plant each child is and what the best conditions are for the different plants to grow are (inspired by Janusz Korczak). In my long career as educational support in the sector I have worked predominantly with children who speak two or more languages. I am happy to have landed at Simcha where I can support the children’s development with love and creativity. You can generally find me in the Toeki toddler group and I am also the Assistant Location Manager and the coordinator for Jewish issues.
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Edith
Hoi ik ben Edith en werk vanaf 2012 bij Simcha. Ik vind het heel leuk om de kinderen te volgens tijdens hun groei en ontwikkeling. Doordat ik al lang op Simcha werk heb ik de kinderen van baby tot peuter naar Rosj Pina en de BSO kunnen volgen, samen met hun broertjes en/of zusjes. Wat ik het leukste vind om samen met de kinderen te doen is spelen en knutselen. Ik vind het heel bijzonder om ze te leren om te gaan met verschillende soorten materialen. Je leert de kinderen ook zo goed kennen door gezellig met ze te praten tijdens de verschillende activiteiten die we samendoen. In mijn vrije tijd ben ik dj en moeder van Joėlla.
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Samantha
I have been working for almost three years at Simcha and I still enjoy coming to work every day. My working days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I do my work with great passion. I feel satisfaction working with this group. The best part of my work is preparing the children for primary school. Before this job, I worked as in after-school care for various organisations, but working in the Tigris group gives me energy as the children are developing rapidly. Watching over a child move from being a toddler to going to school is the best thing a childcare worker is privileged to do.
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Yasmina
Hi, mijn naam is Yasmina en ik heb anderhalf jaar lang bij Simcha ingevallen en ben nu een vaste leidster op de babygroep Efrogiem.
Ik heb voor de kinderopvang een halfjaar gewerkt op een basisschool. Momenteel ben ik nog een student en ik geniet ervan om daarnaast bij Simcha te werken!
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Yvette
Hallo, ik ben Yvette Bouwman. Ik werk sinds januari 2022 met veel plezier bij Simcha als pedagogisch medewerkster. Ik ben op dit moment bezig met het afronden van mijn opleiding tot HBO pedagoog. Ik vind het heel leuk om met deze doelgroep aan het werk te gaan, omdat je een mooie bijdrage kan leveren aan de ontwikkeling van de kinderen.
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Lot
My name is Lot and I live with my husband in the lovely village of Landsmeer. I have worked in childcare with enormous pleasure since 1994. I have looked after children from the age of 0 to 12 years old! I still find it really exciting to watch the development of children. The first turn, the first step, the first word, all still impress me. It is heart-warming how children offer themselves to you fully, how they can give you so much love.
Time and time again, there is the challenge of the child who needs that little bit of extra support. And when you see that child move forward, I am so proud.
But, most of all, I enjoy seeing their happy little faces every day and hearing them shout out my name and give me big hugs. That is why I do this.
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Venessa
I am called Venessa and I obtained my educational diploma in 2014. I have been working at Simcha since 2019, so for three years. I enjoy being with the children and my colleagues every day. That is a great part of my work, contact with people. Catching up with the parents and telling them about the children. Children who run up to you happily and give you a hug, telling you about what they are doing. This helps in creating a strong bond with every child. Added to that, working with such friendly colleagues makes the welcoming atmosphere really tangible in the group and at work in general. You radiate what you feel and I hope to stay working at Simcha for a long time.
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Lea
I am Lea van Veen and in addition to my work in the baby group at Simcha, I have been married to Arie for 33 years and we have two adult sons and have recently become grandparents.
I have enjoyed working in childcare for about 30 years now and not one day is the same as the previous one. Every child in unique and develops at their own pace, which makes working with children so special. I really enjoy stimulating children in their development and providing activities for them that are right for their interests and needs. In doing this, I believe it is important that every child receives personal attention and that they feel safe with us. I hope that the children feel welcome and that they can be themselves with us. I do my very best to make sure that both the parents and the children feel safe so that the parents can leave their precious charges with us.
My working days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
I really enjoy being creative in my free time and I love painting but I also like to relax with a good book. When choosing a book, my preference is for history and books on Judaism. I also love pottering round second-hand & charity shops in search of undiscovered treasures.
On Fridays I am at home preparing for Shabbat and I love to cook and bake and to set a beautiful table. I was able to buy a gorgeous and complete crockery service from 1890 years ago and I am able to enjoy it every week, which makes me very happy. Happiness lies in the small things and I am a happy person.
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Martha
My name is Martha. I really enjoy working in the after-school care. Together with my colleague Simone, we provide a peaceful and safe environment. It goes without saying that we enjoy fun and games, so there is a lot of laughter. My hobbies are travelling, eating well and sports. I have two daughters and two granddaughters, who I look after two days a week. I do not like unfairness and bullying. If you want to know more about us, just make an appointment and we would be happy to show you around.
See you at the after-school care.
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Renee
They mostly call me ‘Miss’ Renee. I have been giving Jewish lessons for almost 40 years at the Jewish Foundation for Special Education, and also at Simcha for some considerable time. I really enjoy teaching and I hope that the children do as well. In the lesson we utter parts of the morning prayer (davenen) and we talk about the contents of the sidra – chapters of the Torah. All of the Jewish days of commemoration and fasting days are marked with songs, customs, symbols etc.
The high point of each week is the celebration of Shabbat in which the children play out roles such as father, mother, etc. The gathering is not complete without a piece of challah and the recital of the benediction.
By the end of the school year, the children have learned quite a lot about Judaism.
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Elise
Hallo ik ben Elise en werk in mei 4 jaar bij Simcha. Ik werkte daarvoor 2 jaar in de invalpool van tinteltuin. Ik kwam ook via tinteltuin bij Simcha terecht nadat we zelfstandig werden ben ik bij Simcha gebleven. De cultuur trekt mij aan, de rituelen en de gezelligheid. Mijn stamgroep is Tigris waar ik werk op woensdag, donderdag en de vrijdag. Ik vind het leuk om te werken met peuters, omdat ze volop in ontwikkeling zijn. Het knutselen, zingen van liedjes of een boekje voorlezen vind ik leuk om te doen. Ik blijf hier nog heel lang.
