The new collaboration signifies a significant expansion of services. From January, the municipal after-school care will shift to a school-near model, with care organized at 13 school locations, supplemented by the Tanneke Tielt site. This means childcare will be offered much closer to the children's familiar school environment, covering before school, after school, and Wednesday afternoons. Care starts at 6:30 AM and continues until 7:00 PM, aligned with each school's hours.
Tanneke Tielt will continue to play an important role, with supervised transport between schools and Tanneke for some schools. During school holidays, the offering will also be expanded with five locations for holiday care: De Wijzer Aarsele, De Wijzer Kanegem, Sint-Lutgardis - Sint-Amandus, De Springplank, and Tanneke Tielt. This aims to provide sufficient capacity and spread holiday care across the municipality.
Parents will gain access to Ferm Kinderopvang's digital parent portal, Mijn Kinderopvang, for managing bookings, viewing invoices, downloading tax certificates, and updating contact and health information. For regular before- and after-school care and Wednesday afternoons, separate reservations will not be required, though they will be for school-free days and holidays.
The standard rate for before- and after-school care is €1.20 per half-hour started. On holiday days, rates range from €6 (less than 3 hours) to €17.50 (6 hours or more). Reduced rates are available for families with multiple children, and a social tariff applies to eligible families. The Welfare department can assist with payment difficulties.
With Ferm Kinderopvang, Tielt chooses a specialized partner with 50 years of experience. The focus is on children's well-being, a warm care environment, and learning through play. Inclusive care is available for children needing extra support. The city ensures adequate staffing with one caregiver per sixteen children in kindergarten and mixed groups, and one per twenty in groups solely for primary school children.
To ensure a smooth transition, the City of Tielt and Ferm Kinderopvang are organizing information and consultation sessions. Staff and schools have already been involved. Parents can attend an online information session on Monday, November 30th at 8:00 PM (registration required by November 25th). Registrations for the new childcare services are expected to open the week of November 16th.
During the Christmas holidays, preparations for the new childcare operations will continue. Regular holiday care will exceptionally not take place. For families with no other childcare options, temporary care will be organized in Tielt (Europahal, 60 places) and Meulebeke (Ter Borcht, 40 places). This temporary care runs from December 21st to 31st (with early closing on Dec 24th and 31st in Tielt) and December 21st to 23rd in Meulebeke. Registration for Christmas care is open from December 7th to 13th via tielt.kwandoo.com. Rates are €5 for a half-day and €10 for a full day.
