Education & Childcare

To operate a childcare centre (kinderdagverblijf), after-school care (BSO), or childminder agency (gastouderbureau) in the Netherlands, you must register in the National Childcare Register (Landelijk Register Kinderopvang, LRK). Without registration, you cannot legally provide childcare services.You apply for registration at your municipality. The GGD (Municipal Health Service) then inspects your facility to verify it meets quality standards for staffing, safety, space, and pedagogical practice. If the inspection is positive, the municipality registers your facility in the LRK. Childminders working through your agency must also be individually registered.

Issued by: Municipality

Medical childcare (medisch kinderdagverblijf) is a specialized form of youth care for children who need extra medical care and supervision during daytime hours. This type of care falls under the Youth Act (Jeugdwet) and is arranged and funded by the municipality. It serves children with chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, or other medical conditions that require professional healthcare support during childcare hours.If you want to operate a medical childcare facility, you must register in the National Childcare Register (Landelijk Register Kinderopvang) and meet additional quality standards for medical care. The municipality determines which children are eligible for medical childcare based on an assessment of the child's care needs. Parents can find registered facilities through the national register.

Issued by: Municipality

The arts education subsidy (kunstzinnige vormingsubsidie) is a municipal grant for projects in arts and culture. It supports artists, makers, cultural institutions, and community organizations that want to develop or carry out artistic and cultural projects within the municipality. Projects can range from visual arts exhibitions and theatre productions to community arts programs and cultural education initiatives.Each municipality sets its own subsidy rules, including maximum amounts and the percentage of project costs that can be subsidized. You typically apply by submitting a project plan with a budget, timeline, and description of the intended audience and cultural value. Application deadlines and available budgets vary by municipality, so check with your local authority for current conditions and submission rounds.

Issued by: Municipality

The education subsidy is a municipal funding scheme for organizations that provide educational activities, early childhood development programs, or after-school learning initiatives. Municipalities allocate these subsidies to support programs that strengthen educational outcomes, promote equal opportunities, and address educational disadvantages in their communities.Eligible activities vary by municipality but may include play-and-learn groups for toddlers and parents, language programs, homework support, or school readiness initiatives. Organizations apply through their municipality, which evaluates proposals against its local education policy. Grant amounts, eligibility criteria, and application deadlines differ per municipality. Both professional educational organizations and community groups may be eligible.

Issued by: Municipality

The National Childcare Register (Landelijk Register Kinderopvang) is a public register containing all childcare locations in the Netherlands. Parents can find addresses for childcare such as daycare centers, playgroups, after-school care, childminders and childminder agencies in this register.Registration in the National Childcare Register is mandatory for childcare providers. This applies to daycare centers, after-school care, playgroups, childminder agencies and childminders. The registration must be kept up to date: changes must be reported to the register. The registration is carried out by the municipality and is based on the Childcare Act (Wet kinderopvang).

Issued by: Municipality

Childminder agencies (gastouderbureaus) mediate between parents and childminders who provide childcare at home. Statutory quality requirements are imposed on childminder agencies and their staff to ensure the quality and safety of childcare. These requirements are laid down in the Childminder Agency Quality Decree (Besluit kwaliteit gastouderbureaus).Mediation staff of childminder agencies must have completed pedagogical training. In addition, there are requirements regarding the supervision of childminders, inspection of childcare locations and administrative organization. The Municipal Health Service (GGD) supervises compliance with these quality requirements.

Issued by: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

Childminder care (gastouderopvang) is provided by childminders who care for children in their own home or at another location. Statutory facility requirements are imposed on the location where care takes place to ensure the safety and well-being of children. These requirements are laid down in the Childcare Quality Regulation (Regeling kwaliteit kinderopvang).The facility requirements relate to space, hygiene, safety and suitability of the childcare location. The childminder must ensure that the space is clean, safe and suitable for childcare, with sufficient play space and appropriate facilities. The childminder agency and the GGD check whether the location meets the requirements.

Issued by: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

If you operate a daycare or after-school care facility, your premises must meet specific facility requirements (inrichtingseisen). These cover indoor play space (minimum 3.5 m2 per child), fire safety, ventilation, noise levels, sanitation, and sleeping arrangements. Building requirements are set out in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl) and childcare quality regulations.The GGD inspects your facility before and after registration to check compliance. You must ensure that rooms are safe and suitable for the age groups you serve. Failing to meet the requirements can result in enforcement actions or loss of your registration in the National Childcare Register (LRK).

Issued by: National Government

Starting a private primary school (particuliere basisschool) requires notification to the Education Executive Agency (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, DUO). A private school is a school that is not publicly funded and for which parents pay the full tuition fees themselves. These schools must still meet certain quality requirements.The notification must be submitted to DUO, part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. DUO supervises private schools and checks whether they meet the legal requirements from the Primary Education Act (Wet op het primair onderwijs).

Issued by: Education Executive Agency

Starting a private secondary school (particuliere school voortgezet onderwijs) requires notification to the Education Executive Agency (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, DUO). A private secondary school is a school that is not publicly funded and for which parents pay the full tuition fees themselves. These schools must meet the quality requirements from the Secondary Education Act 2020 (Wet voortgezet onderwijs 2020).The notification is submitted to DUO, which supervises private secondary schools. DUO checks whether the school meets legal requirements for educational quality, safety, and board reliability.

Issued by: Education Executive Agency