Starting child care

Good childcare is very important. Children need to feel safe and be given the space to develop. That is why the Rijksoverheid has drawn upquality requirements that childcare organizations must comply with.

Location

• Once you have found a location, review the municipality's Environmental Plan.
• Check which permits you need.
• If the site is not suitable for child care according to the environmental plan, you can ask the municipality to give permission anyway.

Fire Safety

If you provide child care for more than 10 children under the age of 12, you need a fire safety permit from the municipality. In other cases, you file a "use notification. Check Fire safety, notification or permit to see if you need a permit. 

If you want to start a child care business, you will arrange the following things, among others:

Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG).

• Apply for a VOG Rechtspersonen. This allows you to prove that your company or employees in leadership positions, have not committed any criminal offenses.
• A VOG allows you and your employees to register in the childcare persons register of DUO. Anyone who lives or works at a place where children are cared for must register in the childcare persons register.

Apply to Child Care Disputes Committee

Register your child care with the Child Care Disputes Committee. If you do not do this, you cannot register with the municipality (see next step).

Educational policy officer

Child care organizations must work with an educational policy officer. This person coaches the pedagogical staff members in their daily work. In addition, the pedagogical policy officer deals with the development of pedagogical policy.

Fees are due for processing an application for:

• the operation of a childcare center (daycare and/or after-school care or childminding agency), as referred to in Article 1.45 of the Childcare Act. 

The fees will amount to €1,163 per application in 2026.

Details 

If the application is withdrawn within 2 weeks, a 75% reduction in the application fee will be granted. If the application is withdrawn within 5 weeks, a 50% reduction in the application fee will be granted.

No fees will be charged for processing an application to operate a host parent care facility.

No later than 10 weeks after your application to register your childcare with the LRK, you will receive the decision from the municipality.

If your information changes, notify the municipality immediately with one of these change forms:

• Change of childcare or out-of-school care form
• Change form host parent agency
• Modification form host parent care