Dribbel was founded 25 years ago by young mothers as a social community initiative due to a desperate shortage of playgroup facilities in the Benoordenhout area of The Hague. They were allowed to use premises on the Maerlant Lycee campus for free, which ensured that fees were kept at a bare minimum, thereby enabling part-time day-care to exist for all local families. It is a very special place which has offered hundreds of children in the area a warm, secure, safe and fun environment in which to play and learn. The three teachers, all parents of toddlers who have attended the playgroup are long-standing, committed and caring people who are deeply saddened by this threat to a unique organisation that they have made so successful over the last 25 years. The board of Dribbel were told to surrender their premises a year ago and since then have explored a number of ways in which to save Dribbel. However, they have been unsuccessful in finding alternative premises. Government funding is not possible because Benoordenhout is considered too wealthy an area. Church hall facilities are only available to denominational groups and Dribbel is not a religious organisation. As a group of parents living in the local community we are committed to helping Dribbel to survive and feel very strongly that this petition is going to help achieving this goal. Timing is of the essence. The school has to close its doors on 7th July and they have a full waiting list for September. The current staff have promised us that they want to stay on and are fully committed to this project. For Dribbel to survive it needs a home. Please support us! ------------------------------------------------- Peuterspeelzaal Dribbel in Benoordenhout, Den Haag wordt gedwongen haar deuren te sluiten. Dit tot groot verdriet van de juffen, de peutertjes en de ouders. Ondanks grote inspanning van het bestuur en de juffen is het niet gelukt om een nieuwe locatie te vinden. Een groepje ouders heeft besloten het er niet bij te laten ziten en zet alles in het werk om een doorstart te kunnen maken. Steun ons door deze petitie te ondertekenen! ------------------------------------------------- ATTENTION: YOU MIGHT BE ASKED TO DONATE AFTER YOU SIGN THE PETITION > THIS IS NOT A DRIBBEL-DONATION, BUT A DONATION TO KEEP THIS FREE PETITION SERVICE GOING ONLINE _________________________________________________