Childcare works with horizontal and/or vertical groups. As a parent you will become familiar with these terms when looking for a daycare center for your child(ren). This concerns the choice that the daycare center has made to divide the groups (whether or not by age). As a parent, it is nice to know in advance what exactly the difference is and what the advantages and disadvantages are of a horizontal group and what the advantages and disadvantages are of a vertical group.
Childcare
When choosing a daycare center, you will be confronted with terms such as horizontal groups and vertical groups. Naturally, each daycare center will inform you of the advantages of the group division they have chosen within their daycare center. By being aware of the advantages and disadvantages of both a horizontal and vertical division of the groups, you can make a better decision about what you consider important for your child. This way you can make a better choice for a high-quality and pleasant daycare center for your child.
Horizontal group
In the case of a horizontal group, it was decided to divide the group by age. The following classifications mainly occur in the Netherlands:
- 0-2 years and 2-4 years
- 0-1.5 years and 1.5-4 years
- 0-15 months, 15 months-2.5 years and 2.5-4 years
Advantages of horizontal group
A daycare center often mentions the following advantages of a horizontal group;
- More (chance of) peers
- Less age difference between the oldest and the youngest
- Less chance of physical or mental ‘predominance’ of the older children over the smaller ones
- More (chance of) age-oriented activities
- Pedagogical staff have been able (this does not necessarily have to be the case) to specialize in knowledge of a specific age group
Disadvantages of horizontal group
Disadvantages of a horizontal group can be;
- At a young age, children have to get used to other pedagogical staff again (by moving to another group).
- Children have to get used to a different space
- Children have to get used to other children
- There may be more competition between the children because they are in the same age phase
Vertical group
With a vertical group, the decision has been made to have children aged 0-4 years together in one group.
Advantages of vertical group
The advantages that a daycare center often mentions for a vertical group are;
- Children have the same pedagogical staff throughout their entire daycare period (if there are no changes of staff in the group).
- Children are together longer.
- Brothers and sisters can be in a group together (always ask because some daycare centers do not want this and place brothers and sisters in different groups).
- Children keep the same group space.
- Young children learn from the older children.
- Older children learn from an early age to take younger children into account.
Disadvantages of vertical group
Disadvantages of a vertical group can be;
- There is not always a balanced age structure, which means there is a greater chance that a peer is missing.
- It is more difficult for pedagogical staff to organize age-oriented activities (sometimes this is overcome, for example, by special three-plus activities with children from multiple vertical groups together).
- More is demanded of the pedagogical staff (they must take into account multiple ages in terms of furnishings, toys, attention, etc.).
read more
- Pedagogical trends in childcare
- The four-eye principle in childcare
- NCKO Quality monitor for childcare