author
Arie Cornelis Bos
1870–1934
A Dutch schoolteacher with a lasting impact on children’s welfare, he helped create a national network of holiday colonies for sickly and undernourished urban children. His work in Egmond aan Zee helped shape a more personal, child-centered approach to care.
1 Audiobook
Toon van 't Veer
by Arie Cornelis Bos
About the author
Arie Cornelis Bos (1870–1934) was a teacher at the public primary school in Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands. Concerned about the health of children growing up in crowded cities, he joined A. Kerdijk and G.L. Zwartendijk in founding the Centraal Genootschap voor Kinderherstellings- en Vakantiekolonies in 1901.
The organization arranged stays in healthy, natural surroundings for children who needed rest and nourishment. Its first home in Egmond aan Zee opened in 1905, followed by the Kerdijk colony house in 1907, which accommodated around 60 children. Bos later led the colony and argued that smaller homes and close personal attention were better for children than large, impersonal institutions.
His legacy lies in helping establish the Dutch holiday-colony movement and in promoting a practical, humane approach to children’s health and care.