Early childhood services
In the Netherlands early childhood services consist of child care and playgroups. There are three types of child care: child day care for 0 to 4 year olds, out-of-school care for 4 to 12 year olds and child minders for 0 to 12 year olds. Child care is financed by three parties: the national government, employers and parents. In contrast, playgroups for 2,5 to 4 year olds are financed by the local government.
As in many other countries, early childhood services have experienced a surge of policy attention over the past decade in the Netherlands. Policymakers have recognized that equitable access to quality early childhood services can strengthen the foundations of lifelong learning for all children and support the broad educational and social needs of families.