Childcare centre or out-of-school accommodation requirements

Published by:
Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO
Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO

If you run a childcare centre or out-of-school centre in the Netherlands, you must provide suitably furnished rooms for play and rest. These rooms must be geared to the number of children and their age.

The Building Decree 2012 (Bouwbesluit 2012) and the Quality of Childcare Facilities and Playground Facilities Decree (Besluit kwaliteit kinderopvang en peuterspeelzalen) contain specific building requirements for childcare centres in existing and new buildings.

Requirements for childcare locations

The main requirements for childcare centres apply to locations for the under-4 year olds and locations where children sleep. These requirements include fire safety, ventilation and noise:

  • The bedroom must be subdivided into a fire compartment. This is a separate room inside the building constructed to prevent the spread of fire.
  • The bulding must have a fire detector system, fire alarms, automatic fire doors and fire extinguishers.
  • Curtains, floor coverings, decorations, toys and furniture must be fireproof.
  • A childcare centre must be well ventilated. Strict ventilation requirements apply in particular to bedrooms with bunkbeds.
  • In new buildings housing childcare centres, there are requirements for insulation against noise from traffic, factories or planes. The maximum level of noise from the ventilation system is 35 dB.
  • New and existing buildings accommodating childcare facilities must have windows in every room (except the bedroom).
  • There are requirements for the difference in height for floors, fences and gates, so that children do not fall or get stuck.
  • Rooms in new buildings for childcare must been at least 5m2.
  • New buildings for childcare must have at least 2 toilets.

New buildings

Are you about to build a new childcare location? Then your local council will only grant an all-in-one permit if the building meets all the requirements in the 2012 Building Decree.

Existing buildings

Is your childcare location in an existing building? Then your local council will inspect the building to see whether it meets the requirements in the Building Decree 2012. If it does not, the local council can ask you to make changes or it can withdraw your all-in-one permit.

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