Daycare

Daycare centers in the Netherlands work with staff qualified to care for children from the ages of 3 months to 4 years.

General opening hours are 7:30 to 18:00 on weekdays (with special extra early or extra late hours available by special request).

Depending on the age of the children, the average ratio of staff to children ranges from 1:3 to 1:8, but there is a bit of a shortage for qualified daycare staff nationwide, so group sizes may be bigger in some cases. Hourly costs may vary from center to center, but as of 2023, they generally start at €9.12 per hour.

Another option is home daycare with a registered childcare agency (gastouderbureau). Self-employed child minders can legally look after a maximum of 4 children in their own homes or in the parents’ home. They tend to charge around €6.85 per hour to look after the children at their own home, and this can go up to €12 at the parents’ home.