Finding Day Care

If you’re going back to work after the birth of your child, then finding good-quality daycare will be high on your agenda. But what are your options? When should you start looking? And how much is it going to cost you?

Belgium is a country of working parents, and there is a comprehensive system in place to look after children from 0 to 6 (when mandatory primary education starts). All Belgian residents can make use of the public childcare that is subsidized by the government. If you’re looking for a private childcare service, then be prepared to pay significantly more.

All childcare for children aged 0-6, whether in a daycare centre or with a childminder, is overseen by either:

Establishments or individuals need to be ‘authorised’ by the ONE/Kind en Gezin and are regularly reviewed to ensure they meet the necessary standards in terms of training, infrastructure and emotional wellbeing of the children in their care.

Free, government-funded pre-school begins at age 2.5 and most parents take advantage of this.

Daycare centre or childminder?

One of the first decisions you might make is whether to place your child in a:

  • group environment, such as a daycare centre (either a ‘creche’ / ‘kribbe’ or a ‘pré-gardiennat’ / ‘peutertuin’); or

  • home environment with a registered childminder

In both cases, you will need to show proof that your child has received mandatory polio vaccination. But, be warned childcare services may also require your child to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella and each region may apply additional vaccination requirements. You can check the Belgian vaccination schedule here.

Daycare centres

There are two main types of daycare centre:

  • a ‘creche’ / ‘kribbe’ that looks after children from 3 months to 3 years (sometimes from 6 weeks or even from birth);

  • a ‘creche’ / ‘kribbe’ that looks after children from 18 months to 3 years. This type of creche can also be called a ‘pré-gardiennat’ / ‘peutertuin’.

These may be either public (including those managed by the communes) or private.

When should I start looking childcare?

If you know you will be going back to work after your baby is born, start thinking about childcare as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed. Planning your separation from your baby may be the last thing on your mind at this early stage, but demand is high, and you may limit you choice even more if you leave it too late.

Public childcare is very popular, and you’re usually put on a waiting list. It’s recommended to register with several daycare centers as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed.

It’s generally easier to secure a place in a non-subsidized private daycare. These have more places available and at shorter notice. However, because they can set their own fees, private childcare can sometimes cost as much as €800 per month, depending on the location and demand. The costs for these services are tax-deductible.

Demand is especially high for subsidised daycare, given the fact that the cost is income-dependent and that you only pay when your child attends (e.g. you don’t pay if your child is sick and has to stay home). Therefore, you may find yourself on waiting lists in several subsidised daycares.

Private, non-subsidised creches and childminders – being free to fix their tariffs – often have spaces available.

How do I find a daycare centre or childminder?

In Brussels, many communes have group enrolments for their French-language communal creches – check with your commune. In non-communal French-language creches, you need to enrol directly with the creche.

For Dutch-language childcare in Brussels, there is a central enrolments website for both daycare centres and childminders, with priority for parents with B1-level Dutch.

Other places to find lists of daycare centres and/or childminders are:

Dutch proficiency tests

If you need to prove your proficiency in Dutch, and you have not followed full-time secondary education or higher education in Dutch, you can take at test at Het Huis Van het Nederlands or another of the recognised Dutch proficiency tests, such as the ITNA test or the CNaVT test.

Daycare - Who gets priority?

In April 2024 the rules in Flanders, regarding how childcare places are allocated and who gets priority have changed and the family that needs childcare to work or to follow a training that is focused on work, gets priority.  Within this group, the childcare gives absolute priority to:

  1. the family that in total works on average or at least 80% - or at least 80% follows a daytime education aimed at work ( Dutch lessons or trajectory guidance to work are also eligible) - or at least 80% combines work and daytime education aimed at work 

  2. siblings of children who attend the same childcare facility at the same time 

  3. foster children

The childcare facility itself determines which of these three groups will have priority.

What does an average of 80% mean in total in a 2-parent family?

The parents must work together at least 80% on average or attend 80% daytime education.

• Example 1: parent A works 100% and parent B 60% = average 80%. This family meets the condition.

• Example 2: parent C works 50% and parent D 80% = average 65%. This family does not meet the condition.

Exception

The daycare center may deviate from the priority rules for a maximum of 10% of all children cared for.

How much does childcare cost in Belgium?

The cost of a childcare depends on the type of creche/daycare you choose: subsidized or not subsidized.

Not subsidized

For childcare facilities that are not subsidised the rate is free and the legal scale does not apply but some some apply it regardless.

Subsidized

For childcare facilities that are subsidized, the rate is progressive based on your household's total net monthly income, other income may be taken into consideration (meal vouchers, company car, etc.). This legal scale is mandatory. In addition to this progressive rate, a series of rules may vary the amount.

Calculate my daily rate

Choosing whether or not to have your child looked after in a childcare setting is an important decision, and cost can play a role in this decision. In any case, it is a wise move to find out in advance.

Both Kind en Gezin and ONE have a simulator on their websites where you can calculate your daily rate.

Subsidized or non-subsidized daycare?

The rate daycare varies according to its nature: subsidized or not subsidized. In non-subsidized environments, pricing is free, while in subsidized environments, it is progressive according to the total net monthly income of the household.

Non-subsidised childcare (free pricing)

  • Pricing is free, and the legal scale is not an obligation (some choose to apply it regardless);

  • Check the house rules carefully to understand what fees are included and what fees are not. Often, additional costs may be added for diapers and care products

  • If your child becomes ill, clarify the payment terms in writing

Subsidised childcare facilities (income-related pricing)

  • The pricing is progressive based on the total net monthly income of the household. This legal scale is mandatory. In addition to this progressive pricing, various rules can influence the final amount

  • In subsidised childcare settings, you benefit from a certain number of days that you do not have to pay for when your child is absent

To learn more about Parental Financial Participation, please consult the 2024 PFP Circular (PDF) (French)

New rates for subsidized childcare facilities from 2025

If your child starts daycare before 2025 will not be affected by these changes

A major reform of daycare fees will come into force from January 2025. This initiative, intended for new admissions, aims to provide financial relief to families with medium and low incomes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: these price changes only concern subsidised childcare facilities in Wallonia and Brussels

This new pricing should benefit the vast majority of families. According to the government, 93% of families will benefit from a reduction or stabilization of costs related to the childcare environment.

  • Household income below €4,000 net per month  : decrease of up to 34%

  • Household income equivalent to €4,000 net per month  : 5% decrease

  • Household income above €6,425 net per month  : slight increase

How many other children and carers will there be?

This obviously depends on whether you choose to put your child in a daycare centre, or with a childminder, but also, whether the care environment is overseen by the ONE or Kind en Gezin.

In environments overseen by:

  • the ONE, a daycare centre typically has more than 8 children, and must have at least one adult for every 6 or 7 children.

    Childminders can have a maximum of the equivalent of 4 children full-time – they can have maximum 5 present at the same time, and maximum 8 registered in total.

  • Kind en Gezin, a daycare centre has at least 9 children, with maximum 18 children in one section. Each supervisor has a maximum of 9 children.

    Childminders typically have around 4 children, sometimes with more at peak times, but this cannot exceed 8 children.

What happens if my child is sick, or we go on holiday?

If your child is cared for in an establishment or by an individual that is authorised and accredited, or authorised, accredited and subsidised, you only pay when your child attends (e.g. you don’t pay if your child is sick and has a doctor’s note, or for an agreed number of days while you are on holiday).

If the daycare / childminder is private, and not accredited, it is free to set its own tariffs, and you pay whether or not your child attends. In some private daycares you continue to pay even when the daycare closes for its annual holidays.

What are typical opening / working hours?

Creches are typically open all year round, except for weekends, public holidays and during certain holiday periods. Many close for one month in the summer.

Opening hours can vary between daycares, but typical opening hours are from 7:30 to 18:30.

Childminders may offer more flexible opening hours, in agreement with parents. This may be useful if e.g. you work shifts, or do night work.

What if I only need childcare occasionally?

If you only need childcare occasionally or you have an emergency, you might be interested in finding a ‘halte garderie’ (French), ‘crisiskinderdagverblijf’ (Dutch). A flexible day care centre where you can leave your child in professional care for a few hours, e.g. if you need to attend a job interview, go to a medical appointment etc. These are available for children up to six.

You can find a list of halte garderies / crisiskinderdagverblijf from your commune.

Questions to ask when looking for childcare

When you visit a creche or childminder, it’s important that you have a good feeling about the location and the staff, but what are some of the questions that you might ask yourself or the staff?

Organisation

  • How many children are there in total?

  • Are children split into age groups or all together?

Facilities

  • How much space do the children have to play?

  • Is there an outside space?

  • Are there enough toys and activities?

  • Where do the children sleep?

  • Can babies nap when they are tired, or do they have to follow a schedule?

    Interaction 

  • What language(s) do the staff speak?

  • How do the staff react when a child is upset?

Food

  • What do the children eat?

  • Will you see a menu in advance?

  • What about special dietary requirements?

  • Can you bring expressed breast milk?

Staff 

  • What is the ratio of staff to children?

  • What languages are spoken?

Admin 

  • Is the creche certified and subsidised?

  • What does the monthly cost cover? Food and nappies?

  • Do you have to pay if your child is sick?

  • Can you bring washable nappies?

Pre-school

Between the ages of 2.5 years and 5 years, children can go to government-funded pre-school (‘école maternelle’ / ‘kleuterschool’ / ‘kindergarten’), which is free. These are usually part of a primary school, and a full day is usually from 8:30 to 15:30. Many also offer before- and after-school care for a small fee.  

As demand can be high for places in good schools, start thinking about this as soon as possible if you know you will still be living here when your child is eligible to start.

For Dutch-language education in Brussels, priority is given to students whose parents speak at least B2 level Dutch (see below).

Nannies, Babysitters and Au Pairs

Nannies and babysitters work independently and do not need to register with ONE or Kind en Gezin. The best way to find them is through agencies or websites like Ligue des Familles and Gezinsbond, which conduct background checks on providers. If you hire someone from your own network, ask about their experience and qualifications. Rates start at about €5 per hour, but most charge €8–10 per hour. Generally, these expenses are not tax-deductible, so it’s a good idea to consult a tax expert for advice.

Au Pairs

Like nannies, au pairs care for your children part-time or full-time. However, au pairs do not get paid a salary. Instead, they receive housing, meals, health insurance, and a monthly allowance of €450.

Au pairs from within the European Union (EU) do not need a Belgian work visa. Those from outside the EU do. Other requirements for au pairs include:

• They must be aged between 17 and 30

• They must have a valid passport or ID card

• They must have a basic knowledge of at least one national language

Because nannies, babysitters, and au pairs, don’t need to register with government agencies, it’s best to go through specialized private agencies and websites. These include:

• Au Pair Belgium

• AuPairWorld

• Babysits

• Bsit

• Gezinsbond

• Ligue des Familles

Childminders

There are two main types of childminder, who look after between 4 - 8 children from 0 to 7 years in their own home. Because these groups are smaller than at daycare, your child can get more one-to-one attention. There are two main types of childminder:

  • a ‘conventioned’ childminder (‘gardienne conventionnée’) works in collaboration with a private or public service (e.g. CPAS – public social services) or a creche. The childminder’s tariff is set by his/her ‘employer’. 

    In some cases, care by a childminder is ‘accredited’ or ‘subsidised’ (in the same way as an accredited or subsidised creche), so you would pay according to your income, and would only pay for the time your child is present (i.e. not when sick with a doctor’s note).

  • an independent childminder (‘gardienne indépendante’) who you may have found by yourself, or via the ONE / Kind en Gezin (who also maintain lists of independent childminders). Independent childminders are free to set their own tariff, and you will sign a contract that states the tariff, hours, what happens if your child is sick etc. 

Both types of childminder are, or should be, overseen by the Office de le Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE) or Kind en Gezin. If you are unsure if this is the case, ask the childminder.

Depending on your income, you can get a subsidy for affiliated childminders. Independent childminders do not get subsidized but are tax deductible if you are employed in Belgium.

Read more about the administration and costs necessary when having a baby in Belgium: