Nursery school and day care facilities
Crèches, host families, nursery schools and day-care outside of school: there are several possibilities for children from the age of six weeks up to twelve years when it comes to child minding. They are either commercial or part of a subsidised government program in relation to your work situation.
Allowance of childcare
Dutch parents
receive an income-related extra allowance for childcare (site in Dutch). Although it depends
on one’s income with this allowance, the cost of childcare can be brought down. But also families with
a residence permit are eligible to receive this bonus, just like families from Norway, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Switzerland
or any country that is a member of the European Union.
Childcare cente ore crèche
As a parent you can go to any childcare centre, often called a crèche, when your child is between 0 and 4 years old. Babies can be looked after from the age of six months. Every childcare centre has qualified caretakers who will give your child individual attention and good care. Some day-care centres have extended possibilities when it comes down to flexible hours and sometimes even around the clock.
Toddlers’ playgroups
Another form of
childcare is the toddlers’ playgroups, which are subsidised by the government.
Children from the age of two until
four can go there for certain daily periods to get used to a school
situation and to learn how to play with other children in a group situation.
The parental contribution is low and income-related.
Out of school care
When your child goes
to primary school, the school often organises out of school care (before and
after school), just like providing the possibility to stay at school during lunchtime.
Even when only one family asks for this possibility the school is required to
provide a solution. The parents have to pay for it themselves. The subsidy for
childcare is also for the outside school care.
Host parent
Instead of a crèche or out of school care, you can choose for a host parent. In this case your child will be staying at the host family or the host parent will come to your house. A host parent is allowed to take care of up to four children next to their own children. There are special agencies that bring host parents in contact with the other parent. This is a more personal form of childcare and mostly it will stretch over a longer period of time. The advantage of a host parent is the availability of the care for your child in the evening, overnight and sometimes in the weekend. Parents with irregular work hours often choose for this kind of childcare, which is for babies of a few weeks old to children of 12 years.
Often parents have already arranged a host parent themselves, like grandparents, friends or neighbours. The government encourages childcare within a familiar environment and it is possible for parents as well as for host families to receive a subsidy for this situation.
It is in this way that the government encourages grandfathers and grandmothers
(65 years and older) to take care of their grandchildren. They will have to
register themselves at a host family agency.
Thanks to this subsidy system an extra income for grandparents, friends
or neighbours can mount up to 5,000 euro per year.
The website Parenting in Holland
provides an overview of all possibilities. Addresses for childcare in the Arnhem Nijmegen Cool
Region can be found at the websites of the municipalities.
