Do you have a childcare centre or a childminding agency? In the Netherlands you must have a parents' committee. A parent’s committee is made up of a number of parents representing all parents of your childcare location. Each location of your childcare centre must have a parents' committee. You must set up a parent’s committee within 6 months after your registration in the National Childcare Register (LRK).
What does a parent’s committee do?
You discuss your pedagogical policy at least once a year with the parents’ committee. You also provide the committee with information on your organisation’s quality and financial situation. The parent’s committee advises on at least:
- pedagogical policy
- nutrition
- general policy on safety, education and health
- opening hours
- preschool education
- complaints procedure
- pricing
You may disregard the advice of the parents’ committee if it is in the interest of childcare. However, you must provide the parents' committee with a written explanation of your decision. Parents may also call you to account for any problems. They can file a complaint with the Childcare Disputes Committee.
Parents' committee's regulations
You must adopt the parents' committee regulations within 6 months of submitting your application to be included in the National Childcare Register (LRK). You draw up these regulations at your own discretion. You can use model regulations (modelreglement, in Dutch) from the Childcare Parents Representation Organisation (Belangenvereniging van Ouders in de Kinderopvang & Peuterspeelzalen, BOinK). The regulations must at least specify the following subjects:
- the number of members in the parents' committee
- how members are elected
- the members' term of office
An amendment of the regulations will require the permission of the parents' committee.
No parents' committee
If you do not succeed in setting up a parent’s committee you may be exempt if:
- your childcare centre hosts at most 50 children
- your childminding agency has at most 50 childminders
You must be able to prove that you have tried to set up a parents’ committee. You must also make sure parents are involved on issues on which a parent’s committee normally advises. You should be able to show this upon inspection.
