Childcare
There are various childcare facilities for infants and toddlers in the Maastricht Region. The region offers plenty of choice, including agencies for in-home childcare, day care centres. Childcare is not free in the Netherlands, however it can be subsidised in the form of kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare benefit). The Netherlands formal educational provision for children starts at 4 years of age.
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Parents who work during regular office hours may leave their children (2 months-4 years old) at an accredited kinderdagverblijf (crèche / day care centre). Most are open on weekdays from 07:30-18:30. The crèche is sometimes affiliated with a primary school and located on the same premises. The idea is for children to adjust to playing with other children, to expand their social and language skills, and to prepare them for primary school.
It's common to bring your children only a cerntain amount of days per week to a kinderdagverblijf (not every day). Registrations are required in advance and there is often a waiting list.
There are 2 international day care organisations: English ChildCare Maastricht (English) and Kid's Garden Maastricht (Dutch/English).
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A peuterspeelzaal (pre-school playroom) caters to parents of children aged 2 to 4 years old. Its main purpose is to prepare your children for primary school with educational activities. Children can spend one or more half-days here to play with other children.
Prices may vary per city but it is less expensive than a kinderdagverblijf. On the other hand is it less flexible in opening hours and there is a limitation to the amount of the hours of care compared to a kinderdagverblijf where your children can spend a whole day.
A list of peuterspeelzalen in Limburg can be found at peuterspeelzaaloverzicht.nl (link in Dutch).
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Gastouders (host parents) offer small-scale (maximum of 6 children) childcare facilities in a home environment for children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. This arrangement tends to be more flexible as parents and host parents can mutually agree on the hours of care. Childcare facilities can help find a suitable, registered host parent.
Host parents in the Maastricht region can also be found via Care.com or 4kids.nl (Heerlen).
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Most basisscholen (primary schools) start at 08:30 and finish at approximately 15:00. For working parents Buitenschoolse Opvang – BSO (before and after school care) is the usual solution. Many primary schools have a BSO on site, others arrange transport to and from the BSO to the primary school. Most BSO's have the same opening hours as childcare centres.
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Au-pairs can be hired for a period of 1 year. There are regulations in place for the hiring of au pairs and as such there are registered agencies to contact for further information. Au pair Agencies hiring international employees must adhere to the regulations for au pairs set out by the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service).
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From around the age of 14, older children may start looking for oppassen (babysitting) jobs in the local area. Babysitters normally get paid between €3-€6 an hour, depending on their age, the number of children and the time of day the babysitter needs to be present. University students also look for babysitting jobs as they can combine this with their study. These older students sometimes offer their multilingual talents or tutoring alongside the babysitting duties, and therefore request higher hourly rates such as €10-€15.
There are a few babysitting intermediaries catering for the expat community, but generally babysitters are found by recommendations from other families.
Go to our Tax benefits section for more information on childcare benefit.
TIP: Maastricht International Playgroup organises weekly activities for families with children aged 0-4 who are living in the Maastricht area, providing a space and some creative activities for children while supporting parents with new friendships, advice, and information.