Introducing Curious Kids Familiecentrum

Curious? We are! Becky Riddle talks to Ananda and Barbara of the recently opened Curious Kids Familiecentrum to find out more about their unique centre for families in Amsterdam.

The Curious Kids Family Centre is for every parent and for every child! – Barbara Swarts, General Manager.

Six years ago Ananda Hagens had a dream. She dreamt of a place where children could grow in a safe and stimulating environment that nurtured their development and natural curiosity in the world around them – a dream of the perfect child-focused daycare. 

Having completed her training in pedagogiek (Children’s Psychology, Behavioural and Growth studies), she wrote a business plan for a high-quality daycare with a personal touch – and she set up her first Curious Kids Daycare centre in the De Pijp area of Amsterdam.

Several years on and Ananda is living her dream. She now runs nine high quality, reputable daycare locations with seven more small groups (a maximum of 10 children) soon to be opening their doors across Amsterdam as this article is being written.

Beyond a Daycare Centre

During her time working within her daycare centres, Ananda has discovered it is not just about the children, but the parents too. Within the large and diverse community she serves, Ananda also identified a common need among the pregnant ladies, families with young children, and those with older children: a need for places to go with their child to relax, have fun, and learn. Her clients needed a place to connect with other families outside of the daycare environment. Listening to these clients, she noted it seemed to take a lot of effort on behalf of the parents to find these social, informative and educationally stimulating activities that are often scattered across the city.  

Thus Ananda’s dream expanded into a one-stop-shop for families to access a wide range of activities and classes.

In October 2016, she opened her first Curious Kids Familiecentrum. The concept is simple: a versatile space that can hold a variety of lessons, courses, activities, and information sessions of benefit to the diverse parents, parents to be, and children of Amsterdam.

Activities, Workshops, and More

The centre offers daytime and evening classes throughout the week, including pregnancy workshops, activity classes for babies and toddlers (including dance, ballet, theatre, and yoga), and postnatal fitness classes for mamas.

“The purpose of all the classes is having a good time together!” says Barbara Swarts, General Manager.

It’s easy to create a free account on their website, (or call Barbara and she can help). Once registered, you can book the courses and classes that appeal to you, choose from a range of flexible payment cards, and sign up for a monthly newsletter.   

The centre is also a perfect place if you are looking for a location to have your own class, baby shower, or child’s birthday party. With a large, light and airy main room and a kitchenette, as well as access to an enclosed outdoor area and basement room, the space lends itself to being rented for a variety of purposes. 

Both Ananda and Barbara gain a great sense of satisfaction from the happiness of the parents (to be) and children they serve at the centre. As Barbara states, “The Curious Kids Family Centre is for every parent and for every child!” 

So whether you are pregnant, looking for a class for you or your child, or just need a space, the Curious Kids Family Centre is the place to go.

Visit Familiecentrum.nl for to view the full class agenda and to register online for your free account. For help or questions, email info@familiecentrum.nl.

Note: Curious Kids Familiecentrum has paid to be featured on Amsterdam Mamas because they believe that their services would be of interest and benefit to our readers, and we think so too. For more information on sponsored posts and advertising on Amsterdam Mamas, please see our Advertising and Disclosure policy.

Images used with permission