Questions and answers

Yes, they can, but the rate is CZK 185/hour. However, if a child attends for 6 hours a week – for example three times a week for two hours, twice a week for three hours, or once a week for six hours – the rate is CZK 125/hour, which comes to CZK 3,000 a month.

If your child falls ill or you go on holiday, you do not lose the money – any credit carries over to the following month, where you can use it for extra hours, the playroom or refreshments. The monthly rate for the agreed hours is not reduced, but credit is added on top of it. If attendance drops below CZK 3,000 a month, it automatically counts as short-term childcare at the rate of CZK 185/hour.

Unfortunately not. Exactly as many carers travel on the stay as we have children in the group. For reasons of safety and insurance, we are responsible solely for the children who travel with us as part of the group.

Can we use your skiing course?

That is not possible. Our skiing course, and the small children's ski lift, are intended for our group only:

• the children's lift is installed exclusively for our group
• the lift is operated by a trained member of our staff
• the lessons are led by our own ski instructor
• the lift and the lessons run only while our little skiers are on the slope

Thank you for understanding – the safety, calm and well-being of the children always come first for us.

I go by qualifications. If I have to choose between a university-educated teacher with experience, a verified Charles University diploma, creative, speaking good Czech and English and with a real affinity for children – and a Czech woman with a childminding course – then my choice is clear. I know that if the parents of our Kentíci children sat in on the interview, we would agree.

Most of our parents work for international companies, where nobody asks where someone is from either, but what is in their head and what they can do. So parents here have nothing to worry about – their children are among educated people. And our children could not care less which country someone comes from. What matters is that they enjoy being with them.

No. Settling into the environment takes place in the afternoon playroom from 15:00 to 19:00. In the morning you can stay until 9:00, while the children are arriving, playing freely and some are having breakfast. At 9:00 we lock the door and let later arrivals in when they ring – we take the child over in the changing room so that the individual work with the children is not disrupted.

If a parent worries that their child is afraid of the group, staying with them does not help. We certainly do not leave children to cry while they are settling in – a carer picks them up and goes to play with them in the kitchen, away from the playroom. If we cannot calm a child down, we call the parents straight away. It has never yet happened that we had to call twice – the child realises that their parent is not leaving them here for good, and then focuses on all the new things and experiences.

Children come home very tired and sleep longer than usual – which is another bonus. Sleep is very important at this age; it is crucial for a child's mental development.