Since Sunday, 15 March, BOinK has taken this position in every consultation with State Secretary Van Ark or the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW). BOinK is in constant consultation about how the reimbursement can be arranged. Together with the two childcare employers’ organisations, BK and BMK, BOinK has developed a plan. There is good hope that a scheme will be introduced in the short term under which parents will receive a refund of the contribution they have already paid themselves.
According to BOinK, some parents are angry that the letter states that if you cancel or do not pay, you will lose your childcare place. The Ministry of SZW says that this follows from the Childcare Act. The Ministry of SZW has suspended the operation of the law on one point, namely that the childcare allowance will also continue to be paid when the parent does not use childcare. Of course, parents will say, ‘I can’t use it’, but this is the position of the Ministry of SZW at this time.
BOinK fully understands that parents feel their rights are at stake because they have to pay the entire bill. The reason for this is, on the one hand, that the government has declared childcare to be a vital sector so that childcare remains available for parents in essential professions. On the other hand, this enables childcare to remain available to everyone even after this crisis. BOinK understands this, but in return, during these uncertain times when your income can suddenly drop significantly, parents must be guaranteed that they will receive a refund of the part of the bill they pay themselves (the personal contribution).
Read here the letter to parents about childcare costs.