The Flemish agency Opgroeien has decided to suspend the license of the De Bengeltjes crèche, located in Denderleeuw (East Flanders), due to a recent “dangerous situation”, report De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad and Gazet van Antwerpen on Wednesday.
“De Bengeltjes opened its doors at the end of 2017 and can accommodate 36 children”Opgroeien spokeswoman Nele Wouters said. “The structure has been checked by the health care inspectorate (Healthcare inspection) in 2019 and in the spring of 2022, following which an opinion recommending the implementation of a protection procedure was issued”. According to the agency, recurring structural failures have been observed at the crèche management level. It was these elements, combined with a recent report, that led the agency to decide to immediately suspend the establishment’s license.
“A dangerous situation has recently been reported, in which the physical and psychological integrity of the child could not be guaranteed. We are very concerned about the quality of the reception, the safety and the health of the children”, Ms. Wouters said. The reception structure has been informed, as well as the local administration and the parents. The nursery declined to comment.
Yesterday, we learned that the “Het warm nestje” crèche in Bilzen, in the province of Limburg, had been urgently closed after several complaints. In particular, it was a question “of children forced to eat”.
In recent weeks, establishments in Oudenaerde and Keerbergen, also located in Flanders, following reports of unacceptable behavior.