Opening hours
Usually from 7:30 until 18:00 or 18:30. You choose full or half days, often with a minimum of one day a week.
All daycare locations in the Netherlands
A daycare centre (kinderdagverblijf) provides childcare for children aged 0 to 4 during the day on working days. Search daycare centres in your area and compare with help from Kiddie.
How does daycare work?
A set group
Your child is in the same group on every day of care, with a small team of regular childcare workers. This helps your child get used to the other children and the faces quickly.
Group set-up
In a vertical group, children aged 0 to 4 are together. In a horizontal group, they are roughly the same age. Ask which set-up the location has and why.
Settling-in period
Your child gets used to the group over a few short sessions, usually in the first weeks of the contract.
Meals, naps and care
Set times for eating, playing and sleeping give children something to hold on to. Babies keep their own rhythm. Ask what is included in the price, such as meals, nappies and formula.
Approach and early education
Every daycare centre has a pedagogical policy, sometimes based on an approach such as Montessori. Toddlers aged 2.5 to 4 who may need language support can get early childhood education (VVE).
What does daycare cost in 2026 and 2027?
In 2026, daycare costs an average of €11.73 per hour.
Prices vary widely between municipalities: from an average of €10.50 in Nieuwkoop to €13.41 in Nederhorst den Berg.
If you work, you are entitled to childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag). It is calculated on a maximum hourly rate: €11.23 in 2026 and €11.60 in 2027. If your daycare charges more, you pay the difference yourself. The percentage you get back depends on your income. Calculate your own situation with the Kiddie calculator.
The Dutch government wants all working parents to receive 95.6% of the maximum hourly rate from 2029 (Rijksoverheid, in Dutch).
Example calculation
2 days a weekhourly rate €12.00
| Income €45,000 | Income €100,000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of daycare | €1,044 | €1,044 |
| Childcare benefit (96% / 72.1%) | €938 | €704 |
| You pay | €106 | €340 |
Indicative, use the Kiddie Calculator to calculate your own situation.
Daycare, after-school care or childminder?
| Daycare | After-school care (BSO) | Childminder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 0-4 years | 4-12 years | 0-12 years |
| Where | Group at a location | Group at a location, often at or near school | At the childminder's home or yours |
| Max. hourly rate for benefit 2026 / 2027 | €11.23 / €11.60 | €9.98 / €10.31 | €8.49 / €8.77 |
| More information | This page | After-school care | Childminder |
How to choose a good daycare centre
- 1
Close to home or work
Start with the daycare centres in your area or on your way to work. Search by postcode and see which ones are easy to reach.
- 2
Opening hours and flexibility
Do the opening hours fit your working hours? Also check whether you can swap days or book an extra day.
- 3
Group, atmosphere and approach
Do you prefer a mixed-age or single-age group, and does the pedagogical policy suit your family? Register in good time: places for babies and popular days fill up quickly.
- 4
Costs and childcare benefit
Childcare benefit is based on a maximum hourly rate: €11.23 in 2026 and €11.60 in 2027. Anything above that, you pay yourself. Ask what is included in the price, such as meals and nappies. You only get childcare benefit at a location with an LRK number, which is shown on Kiddie.
- 5
Reviews and inspection report
Read what other parents say about the location and check the summary of the latest GGD inspection report.
- 6
Tour
Visit on a normal morning. See how the staff interact with the children and ask how settling in works, how they keep you updated and what happens when your child is ill.
Want to know more? Read how to combine the GGD report with your own impression.
Daycare in your city
Choose your city and compare daycare centres
Daycare centres with the best reviews
5.0(59 reviews)
Het Kleine Prinsje B.V.
Harlingen
“Een hele fijne kinderopvang Elke dag is een feestje”
5.0(50 reviews)
Kinderdagverblijf Flekss - De Nowies
Etten-Leur
“Na een minder fijne ervaring bij een opvang, is dit een warm bad. Lieve juffen en veel persoonlijke aandacht.”
5.0(46 reviews)
Guppies
Amersfoort
“Super behulpzaam en vriendelijk! De gupjes zijn, rekening houdend met levertijd, snel verzonden en goed verpakt. Ze zijn jong en mooi om te zien. Ik zou zeker…”
5.0(33 reviews)
De Villa
Utrecht
“Wij zitten nu een halfjaar bij de villa. Ons zoontje heeft het nergens anders over.. hij gaat met veel plezier en wij ook.”
5.0(30 reviews)
Kindcentrum Pi
Zwolle
“Pi is een leuke, betrouwbare opvang. Onze oudste dochter ging er altijd met veel plezier naartoe, ondanks dat ze er al een jaar niet meer komt, omdat ze nu…”
5.0(27 reviews)
Time for Kids BV
Roosendaal
“Time for Kids is een heel fijn kinderdagverblijf waar ik met veel plezier en vertrouwen mijn dochtertjes naar toe breng. Er werken lieve leidsters die je als…”
Frequently asked questions about daycare
At 2 days a week (87 hours per month) and €12.00 per hour, daycare costs €1,044 per month. After childcare benefit, in 2026 you pay about €106 to €340 yourself, depending on your income. In 2027 you pay about €75 on an income of approx. €45,000.
Yes, if you and your partner both work (or study or follow a programme) and the daycare centre is listed in the National Childcare Register. The benefit is calculated on a maximum of €11.23 per hour in 2026 and €11.60 in 2027, for up to 230 hours per month per child.
As early as possible, ideally during pregnancy. Places for babies and popular days fill up quickly. Register at a few locations that really suit you.
Most daycare centres accept babies from about 10 weeks, usually after maternity leave. Your child can stay until they turn 4.
At a daycare centre, your child is in a group at a location. A childminder (gastouder) looks after a small number of children in a home setting, often with more flexible hours.
Check the GGD inspection report, read reviews from parents and ask about the pedagogical policy. Kiddie shows the outcome of the latest GGD report for every daycare centre.
At many daycare centres the minimum is one full day or two half days a week. Check with the location.
Peuteropvang is for children aged 2 to 4, usually a few mornings or afternoons a week. A daycare centre offers full or half days for children aged 0 to 4.
The daycare contract usually ends automatically. For care after school, you register your child with an after-school care (BSO) provider yourself.
Compare daycare centres near you
Search by postcode or city and check the inspection report, reviews and hourly rate for every daycare centre.
Read more about daycare
- When Should You Start Looking for Childcare? From Start to Registration
- What a Day at Daycare Looks Like
- How Does the Settling-In Period at Childcare Work?
- How Many Hours of Childcare Does Your Child Really Need?
- What Is the Fixed Faces Rule in Childcare?
- Pedagogical Approaches in Childcare: Which One Should I Choose?
- Childcare benefit & costs