Childcare for your child
The Child Care Act and the Child Care Innovation and Quality Act (IKK) govern the quality and funding of all child care facilities, including toddler care. The law requires child care facilities to register with the municipality before commencing operations.
Approved facilities are listed in the National Childcare Register ( , or LRK). In this register, you will find all registered daycare centers, after-school care providers, preschool programs, child care agencies, and child care providers for each municipality. The municipality keeps this register up to date.
Child Care Act
You may be eligible for a child care subsidy under the Child Care Act. You can apply through the Tax and Customs Administration at . Parents or guardians must apply for the subsidy directly with the Tax and Customs Administration. As a parent or guardian, you are only eligible for a subsidy for childcare costs if you use a facility that is accredited and registered in the LRK. No subsidy is available for registered playgroups or before- and after-school care.
The amount of the childcare allowance depends on various factors, such as your income and that of your partner, the number of hours you work, the number of children attending childcare, and for how many hours, etc. If you receive benefits under the Participation Act (Participatiewet), IOAW/IOAZ - ANW, and are actively participating in a reintegration program, you are eligible for a small supplementary allowance from the municipality to cover the costs of childcare for target group parents (KOA rate of 4.5%). The government reimburses no more than a maximum hourly rate for the childcare allowance. For more information about your situation and current amounts, see the information on the Rijksoverheid.
Quality of Child Care
The Wko also regulates quality oversight and enforcement for daycare centers, child care agencies, after-school care, and toddler care within the municipality. Uniform national quality standards apply. The GGD conducts an annual mandatory inspection of hygiene and safety. If warranted, the municipality takes enforcement action against childcare centers that do not comply with legal requirements. In doing so, the municipality applies the enforcement policy rules of the Childcare Act. The finalized inspection reports from the GGD are public and can be viewed on the website of the National Childcare Register.
Do you have a complaint about your child’s childcare?
You can discuss your complaint with a staff member or the location manager of the childcare organization. If you can’t resolve the issue, you can take a few steps to try to resolve your complaint.
If you have concerns about an employee in a child care setting using (sexual) violence, please contact the child care ombudsman at as a parent or as the owner of the child care facility.
Reimbursement of childcare costs based on a social and medical assessment by the municipality
In some families, a disability (physical, intellectual, or psychological) may make it necessary to use childcare for a few half-days. The determination may apply to either the parents or the child and must be of a socio-medical nature. The social-medical assessment determines that there is a need for childcare. This assessment serves as the basis for further processing and evaluating the application for a subsidy toward childcare costs. VraagWijzer handles the implementation under special assistance.