For a family relocating, childcare weighs as heavily as rent in the decision, and it has to be booked far earlier. In Amsterdam, nursery waiting lists run to months, sometimes a year. Here is how the system works, what it really costs after the allowance, and why it shapes your choice of neighbourhood.
The types of care, and at what age
- Kinderdagverblijf: day nursery, from zero to four. Full days, generally 7.30am to 6.30pm.
- Gastouder: a registered childminder taking a small group at their home or yours. More flexible, often cheaper, and eligible for the same allowance.
- Peuterspeelzaal: part-time playgroup, two to four years, a few half-days a week. A good bridge into school.
- Buitenschoolse opvang (BSO): after-school care, four to twelve, before and after class and during holidays. Essential from the moment school starts, because Dutch school days finish early.
School starts at four in the Netherlands and becomes compulsory at five. That is earlier than in most countries, and it shortens the nursery years.
Waiting lists: sign up before you arrive
This is the single most useful line in this article. In sought-after Amsterdam neighbourhoods, a nursery place is booked six to twelve months ahead, sometimes during pregnancy.
- Join several lists in parallel, as soon as your arrival date is known. Registration is often free or costs a few tens of euros.
- You do not need to be resident yet to join a waiting list. Do not wait.
- Most providers give priority to siblings and sometimes to proximity.
- The days of the week you want change everything: Tuesday and Thursday are the most contested, Wednesday and Friday far more available.
If you arrive without a place, a gastouder is the fastest fallback: the waits are much shorter.
What it costs, before and after the allowance
The advertised rate is hourly and looks steep, but it is almost never what you will actually pay.
- Nursery: roughly €10 to €12 an hour, so about €1,500 to €2,000 a month for four days a week.
- Gastouder: often €7 to €9 an hour.
- After-school care: about €9 to €11 an hour, over far fewer hours.
The kinderopvangtoeslag, the childcare allowance, refunds a substantial share, calculated on household income and paid directly by the tax office. For many dual-income families it brings the real cost down to a fraction of the headline rate. It is claimed online with DigiD, which needs a BSN, which needs a registered address: see our DigiD guide.
Two conditions to know: both parents must work or study, and the provider must be registered in the national register (LRK). Informal care gives no entitlement.
The allowance is paid in advance on an income estimate, then reconciled. Report changes in salary or hours promptly: an overpayment has to be repaid.
The Dutch school day, and why after-school care is essential
Primary schools generally finish around 3pm, and often earlier on Wednesdays. There is no school-run evening study: private BSO takes over, and it too is booked in advance.
Many Dutch families answer this with part-time work, which is widespread and well accepted at senior levels, fathers included. It is a real cultural difference, and it often reshapes how a relocating couple organises itself.
State, international or bilingual school
- Dutch state school: free, good quality, in Dutch. Young children adapt fast, often within months. Many schools run a welcome class for non-Dutch speakers.
- International school: in English or French, fee-paying, with waiting lists and significant tuition. It is often the school that decides the neighbourhood.
- Bilingual streams: some state schools offer reinforced English teaching.
The school very often determines the neighbourhood, and therefore the rent. That is the subject of our guide to international schools and where to live.
Which neighbourhoods for a family
Nursery density, international schools and family-sized homes do not overlap neatly. Some markers:
- Amstelveen: the largest cluster of international schools, family homes, plentiful childcare. See our Amstelveen profile.
- Oud-Zuid: heavily sought by families, well-regarded schools, high rents.
- Oost and Watergraafsmeer: parks, schools, more reasonable rents.
- IJburg and Nieuw-West: newer, larger homes, new facilities, gentler budgets.
Our neighbourhood matcher factors household composition and school proximity into its ranking.
The order to follow, as a family
- Choose the school, or the type of school. It constrains the neighbourhood.
- Join nursery waiting lists in that area as soon as your arrival date is known, without waiting for the home.
- Search for the home within the perimeter that creates.
- Register with the city, get your BSN and DigiD.
- Claim kinderopvangtoeslag from the first month of care: it is not backdated beyond a short window.
Choosing the home itself — budget, areas, timing — is covered in our guide to finding a family home in Amsterdam.
