About BES(t) 4 kids
Financial accessibility
Daycare and out-of-school care must be accessible to children, including financially. Waiting lists must be limited, and childcare should be affordable for all parents. Childcare organizations are financially supported if they meet the conditions outlined in the law and (local) regulations.
Currently, there is a temporary subsidy scheme for childcare to improve quality and reduce costs for parents. The proposed Childcare Law Caribbean Netherlands will establish a structural funding system for childcare. The goal is to ensure that there is a proper and affordable place in daycare or out-of-school care for children aged 0 to 12.
Temporary subsidy scheme
Childcare organizations on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba that hold an operating license under the Childcare Island Ordinance may be eligible for a cost-price reducing subsidy. With this subsidy, organizations can lower the parental contribution and implement measures to improve the quality of care.
Childcare organizations can submit a subsidy application to Implementation and Policy (in Dutch: Uitvoering van Beleid (UVB)). They are supported by the front office established at the public entity for this purpose.
Parental contribution
The BES(t) 4 Kids program aims for parents to be able to send their children to childcare without worrying about the cost. The parental contribution for childcare organizations receiving subsidies is set: they are allowed to charge a parental contribution within a minimum and maximum range. Parents with lower incomes can apply for a child place subsidy from the public entity.
The goal is for parents of children aged 0 to 12 to pay a fixed parental contribution after the implementation of the proposed law. The public entities will also determine whether childcare will be made free for parents living in poverty.
More information
Click here for the temporary subsidy scheme:
- Tijdelijke subsidieregeling (Dutch)
- Changes in the temporary subsidy scheme per January 1st 2025 (Dutch)
The amounts of the temporary subsidy scheme and the associated parental contributions can be found on the pages of the islands:
Future childcare compensation
The proposed Childcare Law BES states that the Central government will cover a large part of the childcare costs. Parents will ultimately only need to pay a small portion of the total costs. The exact amounts still need to be determined. For this, research was necessary to determine the precise costs of childcare when a childcare organization meets all the requirements for high-quality care. This study, which involved more than three-quarters of all childcare organizations in the Caribbean Netherlands, has been completed. Based on the findings, the subsidy amounts for childcare organizations have been adjusted.