The number of childcare centers in Drenthe has increased by more than 20 percent in the past five years. In 2017 there were still 551 residences in our province, in 2022 that number will be 668. This is apparent from figures from the Chamber of Commerce (KvK).
The increase of 20 percent in Drenthe is in line with the national average. The provinces where the number of daycare centers increased the most are South Holland (26.1 percent), Limburg (24.6 percent) and North Holland (24.5 percent). The increase was most limited in Overijssel (12 percent), Noord-Brabant (12.6 percent) and Groningen (14.7 percent).
According to Patricia Huisman, spokesperson for the Branche Vereniging Ondernemers Kinderopvang (BVOK), the growth in the number of childcare companies is mainly the result of more registrations at the Chamber of Commerce. These registrations mainly come from childminders who were already working in the industry. “We also saw pedagogical employees leave salaried employment to start working as self-employed people”, says Huisman.
According to Huisman, the supply in childcare is lagging behind the demand, and a large staff shortage is hindering the growth of the supply in childcare. It is also likely that the demand for childcare will continue to grow for a while.