Shorter average distance to nearest after-school care facility

The average distance to the nearest after-school care facility was 900 metres in the Netherlands in 2010. Large-city dwellers have the highest number of locations to choose from.

Distance to nearest location providing after-school care by province, 2007-2010

Shorter travel distance to after-school care facility

The amount of locations providing after-school care (bso) has risen sharply in recent years. On 1 January 2010, there were 5.5 thousand bso locations in the Netherlands, an increase by 82 percent relative to 2007. As a result, most parents and children do not have to travel over long distances.

The average distance to the nearest location was reduced from 1.3 km in 2007 to 0.9 km in 2010. Residents of the provinces of North and South Holland, Utrecht and North Brabant live closest to a bso centre. The most substantial reduction in distance was recorded in the provinces of Zeeland, Friesland and Drenthe.

Distance to nearest bso location by municipality, 2010

Shortest distance to bso facility in urban municipalities

The distance to the nearest bso location was reduced in nearly all municipalities during the period 2007-2010. Last year, the average distance was less than 3 km in 96 percent of municipalities. With 0.4 km, Schiedam, The Hague and Delft are the municipalities with the shortest average distance.

Urban municipalities offer widest choice

The highest concentration of bso locations is found in the major cities. Residents of The Hague, Almere and Amsterdam had more than 35 locations to choose from within a radius of 3 km. In 6 Amsterdam neighbourhoods, residents had more than 70 bso locations within a distance of 3 km. In the municipalities of Schiermonnikoog, Vlieland and Urk, no residents lived within 3 km from a bso facility.

Osman Baydar and Chantal Melser