All toddlers to get daycare in €60 million plan

The government has made 60 million euros available so that all toddlers can go to daycare for two days a week, whether or not both parents are working. This measure is aimed at kids between the ages of 2.5 and 4 years old. There are currently about 37,500 toddlers in the Netherlands who do not go to daycare at all, RTL Nieuws reports. These are kids with parents who do not receive any form of child care benefit because one of the parents don't work and because the child does not have a development delay. This means that child daycare is very expensive for this group. According to BOink, the association for parents in child care and playgroups, it is very important that all children be able to attend a good preschool facility that is affordable for parents. In a preschool facility, teachers can judge the development of a child and determine whether special help is needed, Gjalt Jellesma, president of BOink explained to RTL. There toddlers also learn social skills by interacting with each other. "By playing they learn all kinds of skills and develop, as it were, they are being made ready for school. If they do not attend, they will have a less good start in primary schools." The 60 million euros for this plan will be given to the municipalities next year, who will decide how they will organize the daycare. The Association of Dutch Municipalities is pleased with the measure, a spokesperson said to RTL. "There are thousand of children who are at home and do not go to a daycare or preschool", the spokesperson said. "We want the right to development for every child, so that all children can start school at the same basic level." The measure will officially be announced on Prinsjesdag, or Budget Day.