Digital Innovation for an Optimized Business-Secure Organization of Out-of-School Care Activities

The city of Hasselt, in co-creation with PXL Smart ICT, aims to develop a smart solution to organize out-of-school care activities in response to significant legislative changes. This will be done in collaboration with schools and the broader leisure sector. The "Decree on the Organization of Out-of-School Care and Coordination of Out-of-School Activities" encourages local governments, leisure actors, and childcare providers to collaborate, offering parents and children more choices between care and activities. 

The future organization of out-of-school care is a complex puzzle involving diverse users, public and private providers, and activities across multiple locations (before/after school and on school-free days). This challenge is compounded by a 60% reduction in funding for out-of-school care, requiring a reorganization of services despite stable or growing demand.

The DIGIBO project aims to develop a smart digital platform that:

- Relieves parents by suggesting tailored combinations of care and activities based on profiles (e.g., location, age, needs, interests, parents' work location).

- Integrates with leisure portals that consolidate activity offerings.

- Maps the operational organization of activities efficiently.

- Optimizes staffing plans for activities across locations.

- Provides capacity planning and forecasting.

- Generates data and insights to identify gaps and desired offerings.

- Enables financial management with variable pricing based on target groups, peak times, and activity characteristics.

The platform will adopt an integrated approach to out-of-school care and activities, improving as more users engage with it. It will iteratively develop the structure of offerings and support local governments in implementing future-proof, affordable care policies. The platform will be scalable and applicable in other cities and municipalities in Limburg, enabling them to manage and organize out-of-school care activities effectively.