Cases
An integral Christoffel Child Center
Client
Primary school Christoffel is a Catholic primary school in Tilburg. The school stands for cooperation, security and an eye for differences. Since 2018, the primary school and daycare Schout have been operating from one building. The school building has been completely renovated. The merger of the two organizations means that a wide range of education and care can now be offered for children from 0 to 13 years old.
Result
The child center was officially opened on 17 May by the councilor of Tilburg. Of course we have sent a press release to invite the press. The parents, students and employees were also at this opening. The first reactions were positive. It is now up to the organization to further roll out this process, such as a new website, social media, etc. TALK ABOUT will assist if the need arises.
An integral child center that brings together education and care for children from zero to thirteen years old. With this ambition, primary school Christoffel and Kinderopvang Schout in Tilburg officially teamed up in Child Center Christoffel. Our task is to ensure that communication in and around the new organization runs smoothly.
Targets
Christoffel Child Center goes beyond collaboration: there will be one vision, one pedagogical policy, one building, one team and one director with final responsibility. So it really will be a new organization. For the employees, support must be created and that they know what the new child center stands for. Parents and students must be aware of the new developments and have a positive attitude towards the new organization.
Approach
To get started on this issue, it is important to know what the current situation is. How do people view the two organizations and what will be the added value of the new organization? TALK ABOUT has investigated this through in-depth interviews with parents and employees. The results have been incorporated into a communication plan with a concrete approach based on two tracks: inform and inspire. A number of resources that we have recommended from the plan are explained below.
Organise and inform
For communication around the new organization, a KC Communication working group was set up that met twice a month. An advisor from TALK ABOUT advised and guided this working group. Among other things, the working group has started drawing up an internal and external newsletter to inform employees and parents more about the developments. TALK ABOUT supported, among other things, writing the texts for the newsletters.
Study evenings
During an interactive study evening, information was provided in an accessible way about the new organization and what the consequences would be for the employees. During this evening, themes that were alive in both teams were discussed. Active input from employees was also requested in this regard. The input from this study evening has been included in the communication plan. A second study evening focused on the interpretation of the mission and the core values. The employees were also given an active role in this. Finally, groups were searched for a suitable slogan for the new organization. With the input, the new mission and core values for the child center have been drawn up.
To inspire
When the employees were sufficiently aware of the plans, it was important to inspire and motivate them. Employees themselves indicated that they did not yet know each other enough and that is why we organized a Valentine’s Day promotion. All employees were invited in style on 14 February. Everyone received a card with “Love to know you” and an invitation to speed dating. The team room was transformed into an “All you need is love” space and while enjoying a matching snack and drink, colleagues asked each other all kinds of questions in 5 rounds that they could find on cards on the table. In this way they got to know each other better in a short period of time on the basis of questions. The purpose of this was to get a little more connection with each other and each other’s work. During the speed date, employees were also photographed as a duo with a big heart. The Polaroids that were made that day were then attached to the heart and hung in the building. A nice memory and so everyone gets the chance to see who their colleagues are every day.
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