Accessibility

There is no universal legal entitlement to ECEC, but municipalities are required to offer ECEC to children who are at risk of entering primary education with a language deficiency in Dutch. Municipalities are also required to provide a sufficient amount of services, both in number and geographical spread.

Admission Requirements and Choice of ECEC Institution

• Playgroups providing early childhood education are in principle open to all children between 2-2½ and 4 years of age. However, early childhood education is intended primarily for children with sociomedical problems and children suffering from or at risk of developmental delay.
• Individual municipalities may give these children priority at playgroups where demand is high.
• Potential developmental delays are often identified by baby and toddler clinics. These municipal clinics are part of the child health service and are responsible for basic medical care and prevention for children up to the age of four.
• Parents may tell the municipality what playgroup they would prefer their child to attend. Such requests are usually met.

Age levels and grouping of children

To ensure the quality of childcare and early childhood education programmes, playgroups and day nurseries are subject to a number of restrictions regarding the size of each group and the minimum ratio of staff to children. The agreement between providers and parents on the quality of childcare and the Policy Rules on the Quality of Childcare lay down maximum group sizes. At day nurseries, children have their own regular group which has its own ‘base’, or room. The size and design of the rooms are in keeping with the group size and children’s ages. The maximum number of children in a group at the same time is:

• for children under 12 months: no more than 12 children per group;
• for children up to 4 years: no more than 16 children per group, of whom no more than 8 may be under 12 months.

In day nurseries or out-of-school care at a childcare centre, the maximum permitted number of children per qualified staff member is as follows:

• four children under 12 months; or
• five children aged 1 to 2; or
• six children aged 2 to 3; or
• eight children aged 3 to 4.

At small childcare centres with only one qualified staff member present, there must always be at least one other adult to provide assistance. Many municipalities also lay down quality standards for playgroups.

There are various early childhood education programmes. Most aim to tackle language disadvantage. Some programmes also address arithmetic and children’s motor skills and socioemotional development. Municipalities choose the programme to be implemented. The most popular programmes are Piramide and Kaleidoscoop. The Netherlands Youth Institute (NJI) website provides an overview (in Dutch) of the most commonly used early childhood education programmes.

Organisation of time

There are no regulations on the annual timetable in childcare. With regard to early childhood education, however, municipalities are required by law to provide an adequate range of programmes. Outside of school holidays, children participating in a preschool programme must attend at least four half-days, of 2½ hours each, a week, or ten hours of activities aimed at stimulating their development (linguistic, arithmetic, motor skills and social-emotional development). There are no regulations on the daily or weekly organisation of childcare. As each nursery or playgroup follows its own timetable, it is impossible to give a general description here.

Organisation of the Day and Week

There are no regulations or guidelines for the organisation of the day and week. This is different in each ECEC-institution.