Choosing childcare: what to look for in facilities and accommodation?
Once you've looked into education and care, the facilities and environment of a childcare setting are equally important. The surroundings play a major role in how comfortable and safe your child feels. Think about indoor and outdoor spaces, the range of activities on offer, meals, and practical amenities.
In brief
- What's included in your childcare fees?
- Does a childcare setting offer activities, and where can you find out?
- How do you know whether the quality of the accommodation is up to standard?
- Which specific facilities are popular, and how do you find a setting that offers them?
What's typically included in the fee?
There can be significant differences between what individual locations offer. Some ask you to bring everything yourself: nappies, milk/formula, and toiletries. Other daycare centers (kinderdagverblijf/KDV) offer an all-inclusive rate. This means meals, snacks, nappies, toiletries, and sometimes even day trips or extra activities are all covered. Nappies, sandwiches, and snacks are commonly included in the fee.
On Kiddie.nl, we clearly show what's included for each location. Be sure to ask about this during your tour as well.
Activities and developmental offerings
A good childcare setting provides activities tailored to the age and interests of each child. These might include music, dance, arts and crafts, nature exploration, or sports. Most locations work with a pedagogical plan that outlines how play and learning are combined. As a parent, you're always entitled to ask to see this.
On Kiddie.nl, you can filter locations by available facilities and activities.
Accommodation requirements from the Municipal Health Service (GGD)
To receive approval from the Municipal Health Service (GGD), a childcare location must meet strict requirements regarding safety, hygiene, layout, group size, and outdoor space. The GGD inspects, among other things:
- whether spaces are safe and clean;
- whether there are sufficient emergency exits and supervision;
- whether there is adequate play equipment and ventilation;
- whether outdoor space is available and how it is used.
The results of these inspections are always available via Kiddie.nl, where the reports are displayed clearly for each location.
Childcare with outdoor space
Playing outside encourages motor skills, creativity, and social development. During your tour, ask about:
- How often children play outside
- Whether there are shaded areas and natural materials
- How safety and hygiene are maintained outdoors
By law, every childcare setting must have outdoor space. On Kiddie.nl, you can browse photos of each location.
Childcare with animals or on a farm
Childcare settings with animals or on a farm are popular for the connection with nature they provide. Children learn responsibility and respect for animals, and parents appreciate that their children spend plenty of time outdoors.
Do pay extra attention to hygiene: ask how handwashing is organised, whether animals are kept separate from eating and play areas, and how supervision is arranged.
Use the "Animals/Farm" filter under Activities on Kiddie.nl to search specifically for these locations.
Childcare with small groups
Small groups mean a calmer environment and more individual attention. By law, the maximum group sizes are 8 babies, 10 toddlers (aged 1–2), or 16 toddlers (aged 2–4) per group — but some childcare settings deliberately work with fewer children. Ask about group sizes on your preferred days and check this in the GGD inspection report.
A larger location doesn't mean larger groups — it simply means more groups. If this is important to you, you can filter by number of childcare places per location on Kiddie.nl.
Conclusion
The layout and facilities of a childcare setting say a lot about the quality and vision of an organisation. By comparing them on our website, you'll find it much easier to identify a setting that's the right fit for your family.