Daycare

Daycare centers (opvangcentra) 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.

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.