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Toddler (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Böhringer Friedrich)
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Toddler (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Böhringer Friedrich)
Tuesday, 22 September 2015 - 11:55
Roughly 40 percent of low-income toddlers are not in daycare
Nearly 40 percent of toddlers who have parents in the lowest income group do not attend a playgroup or any form of daycare, compared to 8 percent of toddlers with parents in the highest income group.
This is according to figures released by Statistics Netherlands on Tuesday.
In 2013 37 percent of toddlers - 2 and 3 year olds - attended a playgroup. That amounts to 137 thousand kids who attended a playgroup for an average of 7.5 hours per week. Nearly a quarter of them also attended a form of formal childcare, such as a daycare with accredited childminders. An average of 20 percent of Dutch toddlers do not attend a playgroup or daycare.
According to Statistics Netherlands, the use of a playgroup is directly related to the income of the toddler's parents. 45 percent of toddlers with parents in the lowest income group - about 28 thousand children - attend a playgroup. Among kids in the highest income group, that number is 27 percent - 8 thousand kids. High-income parents make less use of playgroups because they are more likely to use formal childcare.
The contribution parents pay for use of a playgroup is dependent on the number of hours used and mostly also income related. The average is around 63 euros per month. Next year the government is giving toddler care an additional 60 million euros so that all toddlers have the opportunity to attend a playgroup or daycare.