Belgian Childcare Policies

Childcare Policies

Belgium has a great childcare system!

Because the issue of childcare is a regional responsibility, childcare policies are not uniform across the country.

Childcare policies in the Flemish-speaking community are different from those in the Walloon Region and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. While Flanders has its own system of childcare policies, the two French-speaking regions of the country (Wallonia and The Brussels-Capital Region) share a childcare system under the Minister of Childhood (Ministre de l’Enfance).

The following table summarizes these differences:

	Flanders	French Community (Wallonia & the Brussels-Capital Region)
SUMMARY OF CHILDCARE POLICIES
Government Ministry and Agency Responsivle for Early Childcare	Kind en Gezin (Child and Family Agency) under the Flemish Ministry for Welfare, Family and Equal Opportunities	For children from 2.5-6 years: Ministre de l'Enfance (Minister of Childhood) For children from 0-3 years: ONE (Office de la Naissance et de l'Enfance)
Major Types of Care Offered	Family Day Care Kinderdagverbliff (state-subsidized childcare centers) Kleuterschool (public pre-school provisions) Out-of-school time provisions (OSP)	Accuell familial (family day care) Créche École maternelle (kindergarten) Service d'accueil extra-scolaire (OSP)
Compulsory School Age	6 years	6 years
Legal Entitlement to Free Services	From 2.5 years old in Kleuterschool	From 2.5 years old in École maternelle
Rate of Access to Regulated Services	Children 0 - 2.5 years: 38% Children 2.5 - 6 years: almost 100% OSP for children 4-7 years: 28%	0-3 years: 18% 3-6 years: 100% OSP for children 6-12 years: 33%

References:
Columbia University. 2004. Belgium. New York: The Clearinghouse on International
        Developments in Child, Youth and Family Policies at Columbia University.
        Retrieved February 20, 2008 (http://www.childpolicyintl.org/countries/belgium.html#maternity).
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development(OECD). 2006. Starting
        Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-Operation and             Development. Retrieved February 28, 2008 (http://www.oecd.org/document/63/0,3343,en_2649_
        39263231_37416703_1_1_1_1,00.html.)