Education and childcare

When moving to the Netherlands with children, it is important to know about the different opportunities for your family. The Netherlands regularly ranks as home to the world's happiest children, thanks to a combination of high-quality early childhood education, active parental participation and child-friendly play areas. Parents and children are well supported in the Netherlands with maternity, paternity and parental leave and varous child benefits. Families coming from abroad whose children don't speak Dutch yet, find options in the language programmes of the Dutch school system or go to one of 20 internationals schools in the region, the largest selection in the country.

The Dutch school system

A Dutch public school may be an option for your children if you intend to stay in the Netherlands for longer. Dutch public schools offer good quality education, are free to attend and offer children the opportunity to fully integrate into Dutch society. Day care is available for very young children, typically from zero to four years old. Optionally, some may begin pre-school from the age of two. Until the age of five, children can attend a variety of non-compulsory day care educational facilities, such as a playgroup, preschool or kindergarten. 

At four, children start primary school, which lasts for eight years as they gain basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic. They will start studying English in Group/Year 7, if not earlier. Afterwards, they continue to one of three types of secondary education: VMBO (four years, pre-MBO), HAVO (five years, pre-HBO) or VWO (six years, pre-university). The choice of secondary school and the type of education will determine what kind of higher education they may follow later. After that, students advance to secondary vocational education (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) or university (WO). 

Most Dutch schools are funded by the government and parents only pay a small contribution for trips. Schools have various educational approaches and philosophic or pedagogic principles within the Dutch curriculum, so try to arrange a visit. Registration for schools differs per city and from school to school. You can find Dutch schools on the map. 

Foreign children in Dutch schools

Children of international parents which do not speak Dutch can opt for various types of support. 

• Children from four to six years old can usually start a regular primary school straight away. Schools offer extra support in Dutch schools, especially around the age of six when they learn to write in Dutch.
• Between the ages of six and 12, children are usually required to follow a Dutch immersion programme (nieuwkomerklas) first. These classes are free and last about a year after which they can continue their education with children of the same age at the same school.
• When your child is 12 years or older, they can go to a school which offers a language immersion class (internationale schakelklas). Depending on age, educational background and abilities, children stay in this class for a year or longer before they switch over to the regular system.

• Some Dutch primary and secondary schools offer bilingual education, with classes in both Dutch and English. Note that final exams are still in Dutch, and bilingual schools are primarily designed to help Dutch pupils learn English rather than to support international students in learning Dutch.

   

International schools

If you think about staying only a few years in the Netherlands, you may consider an international school for your children. If you decide to move to another country, your children can enroll directly in another school abroad with the same curriculum or language and continue where they left off. South Holland has the largest selection of international schools in the Netherlands as over 10,000 children go to 20 schools. You can choose between a national curriculum (American, British, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese), the European or International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. Schools range from national schools (French, German, Indonesian), independent (private) international schools (British School, American School, North Anglia) to Dutch government-funded international schools. 

Dutch international schools are partially funded by the Dutch government for children whose parents have temporarily moved to the Netherlands for work and offer more Dutch support. All international schools charge tuition fees, but the costs vary between Dutch international schools (€7,000 to €13,000), foreign national schools (€11,000 to €14,000) and independent schools (€21,000 to €35,000).

Childcare

Childcare in the Netherlands, known as kinderopvang, covers a range of options including childcare facilities like daycare centres, host parents, pre-school and after-school care, or services like playgroups, babysitters, nannies and au pairs. It is important to find the right option for your family in terms of location, timing and language. You will find international-friendly options that specifically cater to international families in The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft and Leiden. Especially in The Hague, there are a lot of bilingual and English-speaking daycare centers, often working closely together with the international schools. Most accept children from six weeks to four years old. Waiting lists of six months or longer are common, particularly in the larger cities, so it is advisable to register as early as possible. Pre-school (peuterspeelzaal) is an optional but recognised first step into the Dutch school system for children aged 2.5 to 4. After-school care for primary school children (naschoolse opvang) is widely available, often provided by schools in collaboration with local after-school centres.

For broader support, each region has a Centre for Youth and Families (Centrum Jeugd en Gezin, CJG), which provides guidance and assistance to parents and children. Most regions also have a youth and adolescent care office (Bureau Jeugdzorg) for additional support. 

Childcare in the Netherlands can be relatively expensive compared to other countries. For this reason, the Dutch government provides financial support for parents to help with the costs of raising children: a general child benefit (kinderbijslag) and childcare allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag), which is intended to help pay for childcare services and pre-school if both parents work or study.