Formal and informal child care

Formal childcare is defined as:
• day care for children in the 0-4 age bracket;
• outside school hours care for primary school children, also during school holidays;
• nurseries supervised by parents or registered host parents childcare.

Informal childcare is paid or unpaid care provided at home or elsewhere not covered by legal requirements.

Additionally, there is the possibility for 2 to 3-year-olds to be looked after in a pre-school playgroup.

Data regarding the number of children in childcare are based on the survey European Union – Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). This is a European survey on income and living conditions of households conducted annually in all EU member states. The sample survey in the Netherlands covers approximately 9 thousand households. Consequently, the figures presented in this article are subject to a margin of error.