Voor Werkende Ouders: Your Voice as a Parent Matters
Keeping all the balls in the air… As a parent, you're the ultimate juggler. At Voor Werkende Ouders, we know that feeling all too well. As parents ourselves, we understand what it's like — and how it can sometimes get to you. The stress of thinking you're going to be late to pick up your child, watching the red brake lights flicker in the distance on the motorway… That dreaded call from the childcare center when your little one is sick and you're still up against a deadline… The questions and doubts that creep in: Am I doing this right? Am I a good parent? How do I manage parental leave alongside my job?
Why Voor Werkende Ouders?
That's exactly why we were founded. We believe it can be easier. Parents should absolutely be free to decide how they balance work, family, and caregiving — but the conditions need to actually make that possible. And that's what we advocate for. Some people think of 'lobbying' as a dirty word. But we're proud to represent parents and their children in political and public debate.
Our Key Priorities
We campaign for better parental leave policies, tackle child poverty, and champion the mental health of both parents and children. Once a year, we publish the Staat van het Gezin (State of the Family) report, which looks at how parents are doing, what challenges they face, and what's going well. But perhaps our biggest focus is childcare (kinderopvang) — its quality and affordability. We've worked hard on developing a new childcare funding system, because the current one is far too complicated and, above all, far too expensive. It's been our top priority in recent years — and with real results. Work on the new legislation and system is now underway, and we are directly involved by the Ministry, holding ongoing discussions with Members of Parliament to further improve the plans for parents and children.
Practical Support for Parents
Alongside our advocacy work, we also support parents with practical tips and tools for everyday life. On WatOudersWillenWeten.nl, we've brought together a wealth of useful information for parents. As well as a clear overview, the site offers a podcast, a crash course for new parents, and a reporting hotline. We've also created TijdBaas (Time Boss), a handy tool to help you find out whether you're truly in control of your own time — complete with practical tips and links to resources where you can find more information. Coming soon is the OuderschapsBox (Parenthood Toolkit), designed to help spark conversations — both at work and at home — about how to divide work, family, and caregiving responsibilities.
Together with Parents
But the best and most important part of our work is our connection with parents. Quite simply, we can't do what we do without them. That's why we have a think tank of 900 parents, along with a group of experts who help shape our thinking. We regularly run surveys and hold conversations with parents across the country. All of these stories and insights go with us to the ministries and Parliament in Den Haag. That's how we make parents' voices heard in politics and society. We hope you'll join us — because your voice matters too.
