Utrecht University and research agency Sardes measure the quality of four types of childcare every year: day care, toddler care, out-of-school care and childminder care. The measurements from the past three years (2017–2019) have been combined in the ‘National Childcare Quality Monitor 2019; Developments in the quality of Dutch day care, toddler care, out-of-school care and childminder care; Trend analyses of childcare, toddler care and out-of-school care and explanatory analyses of childminder care based on the combined measurement data from 2017–2019’. This provides a good picture of the level of childcare. In addition, an analysis was made of the quality of childcare over the past 25 years, and the researchers conducted an international comparison.
Top position
The research – compiled by Pauline Slot, Bodine Romijn, Celeste Bekkering and Paul Leseman of Utrecht University, and IJsbrand Jepma and Paulien Muller of Sardes – shows that the quality of childcare has continued to improve in recent years. The greatest increase in quality can be seen in aspects related to emotional quality, such as the atmosphere in the group and the sensitivity of childcare professionals. Internationally, the Netherlands now even occupies a top position, the researchers state. The Netherlands scores well in terms of overall quality and has relatively few differences in quality between groups. The level is comparable to or higher than that in countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, England and Australia. State Secretary Tamara van Ark (SZW), who presented the report to Parliament on Tuesday, 3 March, accompanied by a letter to Parliament, is pleased with the improvement in quality achieved by the childcare sector: “Childcare is incredibly important for the development of young children. And childcare professionals make a difference every day by providing safe, high-quality care. The sector is growing and has become more professional; the research clearly demonstrates this. At the same time, childcare is facing staff shortages. Many new people are needed to maintain the high quality. I therefore fully support the campaign launched by the sector to recruit new employees.”
Out-of-school care
The report also identifies several areas for attention. For example, the researchers believe that out-of-school care can still improve in terms of leisure activities. The emphasis is currently mainly on providing sports and games, with less focus on creative activities or music. Van Ark will examine how the range of activities can be made broader and more appealing, particularly for children aged 10 to 12. Around this age, the use of out-of-school care declines sharply. Greater differences in quality can be seen between childminders. Further research is needed to provide more insight into childminder care.
More information about the National Childcare Quality Monitor can be found on their website: https://www.monitorlkk.nl.