1 Legal framework

Within the legal framework under which we are currently operating, we must take three important instructions into account from the reopening on 11 May:

  • Day-care centres, toddler care and childminder care will reopen as normal.
  • Out-of-school care will remain formally closed, with the exception of care provided in conjunction with the schools.
  • Out-of-school care will only be open during regular hours, before and after school.
  • Children can attend out-of-school care on the days they are allowed to go to school.
  • The number of hours a child can be cared for depends on the contract (a child with one contracted day therefore does not have to be cared for for two days, but that one day of care may fall on a different day than the one specified in the contract).
  • The compensation scheme for the parental contribution for parents receiving childcare benefit will be continued by the government, because parents are still unable to make full use of childcare in accordance with their contract.

2 Priority arrangements for childcare

Out-of-school care

Because the basic principle is that out-of-school care follows the schools’ daily schedule, we are disregarding the contracted days for out-of-school care. As a result, on a given day it may happen that more children are eligible for care than is legally permitted.

In that case, we advise giving priority to children who have a childcare contract for that day over children who have an agreement for another day.

Next, we advise giving priority to children who have a contract with the out-of-school care facility and attend school over emergency care for children of parents in essential occupations.

Day care

The same advice applies to day care: give regular care for children with an agreement priority over emergency care.

Emergency care

If you still have capacity for emergency care, you may also apply certain guidelines regarding priority. For example, priority could be given to children whose parents both work in an essential occupation, children from single-parent families where the parent works in an essential occupation, or vulnerable children, followed by emergency care for children from a family in which only one of the parents works in an essential occupation.

If providing emergency care threatens to result in the child-to-staff ratio (BKR) being exceeded, it is important to contact the municipality. The municipality is responsible for arranging emergency care and can help find an alternative.

When providing care, childcare organisations must comply with the maximum number of children as recorded in the National Childcare Register (LRK). There is still uncertainty about any leniency arrangement concerning the child-to-staff ratio (BKR).

3 Familiarisation period for the new situation

Because out-of-school care follows the schools’ schedule, occupancy at out-of-school care may fluctuate considerably due to the school’s group arrangements. It has been agreed with the ministries of OCW and SZW that at least the first week may be designated as a familiarisation period. This will give childcare organisations time to adjust to the new situation. In practice, this means that during the first week there may not yet be a place at out-of-school care for all children on school days instead of on the contracted care days. In that case, we advise giving priority to care for children whose school day and contracted day do correspond, over care for children whose days do not correspond.

4 100% occupancy at out-of-school care permitted

Although schools may teach no more than half of the children each day (excluding emergency care), out-of-school care facilities may accommodate the maximum number of children legally permitted. The reasons for this are that the number of children attending out-of-school care is lower than the number of children attending school, and out-of-school care locations generally accommodate fewer children than a school anyway. The number of places for which a licence has been granted (as recorded in the LRK) may not be exceeded, in the interests of the safety of children and staff.

Click here for the protocol for reopening childcare.

Click here for the FAQ on the reopening of childcare and schools from 11 May.