Well-trained staff are essential for good and responsible childcare.

• Until 1 January 2031, a team qualification applies to a childcare centre, requiring that at least half of the pedagogical employees at the location:
  • Have at least an mbo level 3 qualification for pedagogical employee or an mbo level 3 qualification with a pedagogical component.
  • Have an mbo level 2 or CVQ level 2 qualification, supplemented with documentary evidence demonstrating that the employee is capable of performing work at mbo level 3. You can find the requirements for additional documentary evidence below.
    Please note: when hiring staff, preference should be given to employees with a mbo-3 diploma.
  • Have been working in childcare before 1 January 2026, were born in or before 1975 and have at least 15 years of experience in childcare. Only in this instance is an employee not required to have or obtain an mbo level 2 or an mbo level 3 diploma.
• The other half of the pedagogical employees can consist of:
  • Trainees enrolled in an mbo training.
  • Employees who are still undergoing mbo level 3 training.
  • Employees with an mbo level 2 or CVQ level 2 diploma for pedagogical employee or with a pedagogical component.
• If an employee has a foreign diploma, a diploma evaluation can be requested via www.idw.nl. This takes at least six weeks and costs money.
• If trainees, employees in training or employees at mbo level 2 or CVQ level 2 are working, the operator must:
  • Provide for good guidance.
  • Consider their education, experience and knowledge at that moment.
  • In the case of trainees or employees in training, there must also be someone with at least an mbo level 3 qualification working in the group. This is not nessesary in case of an employee with an mbo level 2 or CVQ level 2 qualification.
• During the care for children, there must always be at least one adult present who has a first aid certificate for children. This person knows what to do in an emergency. They can:
  • Assess whether a situation is safe.
  • Ensure their own safety and the safety of others in dangerous situations.
  • Seek professional help if necessary.
  • Recognise when a child is not breathing properly, is unconscious or has circulation problems – and then take the right action.
  • Resuscitate children if necessary.
  • Provide first aid, for example in the event of burns, poisoning, suffocation, wounds and bleeding, and injuries to the head, muscles, bones or joints.

  Please note: The first aid diploma must not be older than two years. Diplomas issued before 1 January 2026 will remain valid for two years after issuance.

*The following rules apply to host parents:

• A host parent must have, at least, an mbo level 2 or CVQ level 2 qualification.
• During childcare, an adult who can provide first aid to children must always be present. This can be the host parent themselves, provided they have a first aid diploma that complies with the rules and is no more than two years old.

A person with an MBO-2 or CVQ-2 diploma and sufficient experience working with children can be employed at a childcare centre as a staff member at MBO-3 level provided they can submit evidence of their work experience. For this, supporting documents proving the work experience must clearly show that the employee can perform the following tasks at MBO-3 level:

• Guiding children in their development
• Working on quality and expertise
• Educating and developing the child/children in childcare

These three tasks must be clear in the supporting documents. Other tasks may be included, but these three are compulsory. This allows the childcare organisation and the inspectorate to properly check whether the employee meets the requirements for experience.

How to demonstrate that someone has the right experience?
The supporting documents must contain sufficient evidence that shows that the employee can perform the three tasks at MBO-3 level. A written explanation must accompany the evidence. The evidence could be, for example:

• References from previous employers
• Videos or photos from work
• Certificates of courses or training attended
• Reports, plans or programs created by the employee himself or herself

Operator’s responsibility
The operator of the childcare centre is responsible for assessing the supporting documents. The operator must determine whether the evidence and explanation adequately demonstrate that the employee can perform tasks at MBO-3 level. The operator may use an experience certificate (abbreviated in Dutch as EVC). Please note in that case, the operator must also have the underlying evidence that was used to prepare the experience certificate.

Every childcare organisation must ensure that all adults present at the childcare location or who have access to information about the children have a valid and recent Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG):

• This applies to the operator or host parent, the director and board members, and to all employees, temporary employees, trainees and volunteers.
• Before the person starts working at the childcare organisation, they must have submitted a VOG to the childcare organisation.
• The VOG must not be older than three months at the time of submission.
• Each VOG must be reapplied for every two years. If you switch to another childcare organisation, a new VOG must also be applied for.
• The operator or host parent must retain each VOG for at least three years.
• If the Inspectorate is of the opinion that a young person aged 12 or older at the childcare facility does not meet the VOG requirements, the Inspectorate can also require a VOG for this minor.

On Bonaire, the language used in childcare is Papiamentu or Dutch.

On St. Eustatius and Saba, the language used in childcare is English or Dutch.

• An operator or host parent describes in the pedagogical policy plan which working language is being spoken.
• Pedagogical employees must be able to speak the working language well with the children.
• If necessary for the development or the situation of a child, a pedagogical employee can also (partly) speak another language with a child.

The number of professionals required depends on the age and the number of children in a group. The younger the children, the more professionals are needed:

• The maximum group size and the minimum number of professionals (known as the professional-child ratio) are listed in the tables below. These numbers apply to activities both inside and outside the childcare location.
• If children from daycare and children from out-of-school care are in the same group, the professional-child ratio for daycare applies.
• The column on the right shows the maximum number of children allowed in a group. If there are more, the group must be split, even if there are three employees to supervise the group.
• If only one employee is present at the childcare location, another adult must be available by telephone and able to reach the location within 15 minutes in the event of an emergency. This is called the back-up.

Daycare – horizontal groups (same age)

Age of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children in group
0 to 1	1	4	2	8
1 to 2	1	6	2	15
2 to 4	1	8	2	16

Daycare – vertical groups (mixed ages)

Age of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children in group
0 to 2	1	5 (max 3 aged 0 to 1)	2	10 (max 6 aged 0 to 1)
0 to 4	1	6 (max 3 aged 0 to 1)	2	12 (max 6 aged 0 to 1)
2 to 4	1	8	2	16

Out-of-school care

Age of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children	Minimum number of professionals	Maximum number of children in group
4 to 7	1	10	2	20
7 to end of primary education	1	12	2	24
4 to end of primary education	1	11 (max 8 aged 4 to 7)	2	22 (max 10 aged 4 to 7)

* A host parent can look after a maximum of six children at a time, up to the age of 13. Any children of the host parent up to the age of 10 are also included. Within the group of six children, a limited number of young children may be cared for:

• Maximum of two children under the age of 1.
• Maximum of four children under the age of 2.
• Maximum of five children under the age of 4.

During the childcare, a host parent must have a back-up for emergencies. This is an adult who can be reached by telephone and can be at the childcare location within fifteen minutes in the event of an emergency.

• A daycare centre is allowed to operate with fewer staff for three hours a day. For example, 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon. This is only allowed if the following conditions are met:
  • The daycare centre must be open for at least 10 hours every day.
  • It must be consistent with the pedagogical and educational policy plan in terms of fewer employees at certain times.
  • During the hours with fewer employees, at least half of the number of employees normally required according to the tables must be present.
  • The deviating staffing can vary per working day, but must remain the same each week.
• At the out-of-school care , you can only work with fewer employees for three hours on days when primary education is closed or during the school holidays. On normal school days, the staffing level can only be reduced by half an hour per day. Even then, at least half of the required number of employees must be present.
• If, due to limited staffing, there is only one employee at the childcare centre, at least one other adult must be available to assist if necessary.
• The childcare centre must keep a daily record of which employees are present and which children are present, including the times they arrive and leave. This attendance list makes it possible to check whether there are enough employees for the number of children.   

*Due to the nature and small scale, these rules do not apply to host parents.

A childcare centre provides a familiar and stable environment for children by working with fixed groups and familiar faces:

• Each child is assigned to a fixed group. In daycare, this is called a master group. In out-of-school care, this is called a basic group.
• The size of the group depends on the age of the children. Older children can be placed in a larger group (see the tables for the rules).
• Each group is staffed by the same employees as much as possible.
• Each child has a designated mentor. This mentor regularly talks to the parents about the development of their child. Parents can also contact the mentor with any questions they may have about their child.
• Children are as much as possible in the same area. In daycare, a child can be cared for in a maximum of two different areas per week.
• Parents and children are informed about which group the child is in and who the designated employee or mentor is.

* Due to the nature and small scale, these rules do not apply to host parents.