Daycare centres in Brussels periphery risk losing license

Research by Flemish family agency Kind en Gezin (Child and Family) shows that 24 child daycare centres located in suburbs of the Flemish periphery around Brussels do not meet the language requirements imposed on them by the Flemish government’s new childcare decree. According to the decree, the daycare centres must adhere to a Dutch-language requirement by March 2017, or risk losing their license, reports Ring TV.

The decree stipulates that the head of the daycare centre and at least one caretaker must have proficiency in Dutch. The language requirement for the head caretaker has been in place since 2009, a measure which some municipalities have protested against in the past.

Child and Family spokeswoman Leen Du Bois says that the new stricter measure is important in order for the caretakers to be able to understand and communicate with parents.