What you have to look out for...
You are new parents but have to go back to work during the day?
You have the option of having your child cared for at a daycare center. This is possible for an entire work day, and at most daycare centers also half days – as a rule for one to five days a week. At some daycare centers, there is a minimum of two days of care per week.
Here are a few features of daycare centers:
- Unlike childminders, daycare centers have fixed opening hours.
- Children are cared for in small groups up to kindergarten age at the premises of the daycare.
- The caregiver(s) are qualified.
- The entity responsible for the daycare is usually an association or foundation.
- Most daycare centers have a care agreement in which the rules and general terms and conditions (GTC) of the daycare center are set out.
What else you have to look out for...
We have put together a checklist which will help you review the care agreement with your chosen daycare center. Daycare centers offer very different contractual agreements with respect to prices, place reservation procedures, and termination policies. So it's important that you start inquiring about the conditions at potential daycare centers for your child early on so that you can make the right decision for yourself and your child.