A four-year-old warning his 92-year-old tablemate about sharks: it sounds like an unlikely scene, but moments like these are everyday reality at intergenerational care facilities, where childcare and elderly care are combined under one roof. NRC recently covered this growing phenomenon in the Netherlands.
What are intergenerational care facilities?
At intergenerational care facilities, a daycare center (kinderdagverblijf/KDV) or after-school care (BSO) is physically combined with a residential care home or day care facility for older adults. Residents and children share common spaces, sometimes eat together, and take part in joint activities. The concept is not new — it has existed for longer in countries such as the United States and Japan — but it is clearly gaining traction in the Netherlands.
Benefits for both generations
Research into intergenerational programs consistently shows positive outcomes for both children and older adults:
- For older adults: more social interaction, reduced loneliness, and a sense of purpose through contact with young children.
- For children: early exposure to aging and diversity, and the development of empathy and social skills.
- For society: more efficient use of buildings and staff, and a strengthening of the bond between generations that have grown increasingly apart in modern life.
A response to societal challenges
Combining childcare and elderly care fits into a broader search for solutions to two major societal challenges at once: the shortage of affordable childcare facilities and the growing problem of loneliness among older adults. The Netherlands is aging rapidly, while at the same time the childcare sector is under pressure from staff shortages and high costs for parents.
Municipalities and care organizations are experimenting with these kinds of combined facilities more and more, partly driven by the opportunities offered by the new Childcare Act (Wet kinderopvang) for more flexible and innovative forms of care.
What does this mean for parents?
For parents looking for childcare, an intergenerational facility can be an appealing option. Children grow up in a rich social environment and learn from an early age to interact with people of all ages. That said, it is worth taking a close look during any visit: how is contact between children and older adults organized, what activities do they do together, and how is supervision arranged? Not every facility takes the concept equally far — sometimes it amounts to a shared building with occasional contact, while other locations offer a fully integrated program.