Changing childcare days: extra care, day swaps or fewer hours

Need an extra childcare day, want to swap a day or reduce your hours? First decide whether this concerns one date or a lasting change. Then ask about a place, conditions, charges and the effective date. Plan around a confirmed arrangement: a request, swap credit or a change to your working pattern does not itself provide a different childcare place.

This guide concerns changes to an existing placement in the Netherlands. For a new provider, use the guide to changing childcare. Keep three things alongside each other: when your child attends, what the contract charges and which details you use for Dutch childcare benefit, called kinderopvangtoeslag.

1. Choose the change you actually need

Write down the arrangement you want, including a date. “Every Thursday from November” is different from “one additional day on Thursday 19 November”. Swapping may be an option when you are not using an existing day, but it is not a general substitute for a permanently changed schedule.

• Extra day: a one-off booking or additional regular days.
• Day swap: using an unused day under the provider's swap policy.
• Fewer hours: changing the agreed amount, rather than simply reporting absence.
• A different regular day: checking when the new day starts and the old one ends.

Explain where you have flexibility. Perhaps Tuesday is also possible, but collection after five is essential. A clear minimum requirement helps the discussion.

2. Compare your current and requested schedules

Get the contract, conditions and a recent invoice. Note your current days, charged hours, hourly rate and holiday or closure arrangements. Then make a second list for the arrangement you want. The Dutch parents' association BOinK describes the agreement, conditions and service offer as parts of the contract, so look beyond the weekly schedule in an app.

Ask for a proposal that makes the changes identifiable. It might add Thursday, adjust monthly hours and apply from a particular date. A message saying there “may be room” does not settle these questions.

3. Get an extra day specifically confirmed

Ask about the date, times, location, group and charges for an extra day. With after-school care, called BSO, include school transport: who collects your child, from which school and what happens on a teacher-training day? For childminder care, discuss the extension with the childminder and, where needed, the agency handling the contractual arrangements.

Also ask what happens if the request cannot be met. You could discuss another day or temporarily organise work differently, but treat an alternative as agreed only when it is confirmed. For a recurring extension, check that every requested week is covered instead of relying on a single available Thursday.

4. Check swap credit and conditions separately

BOinK explains that swapping after you report your child absent is generally a service; any entitlement depends on the arrangements. Read the policy for your placement. Visible credit does not establish that your requested date can be granted.

Ask specific questions before cancelling attendance on the original day:

• Which absences generate credit under the policy?
• When must you report absence, and when does the credit expire?
• Must the hours match, or does the policy use different units?
• Can the credit be used at the requested location, day or group?
• When is the request final, and what happens if it is declined?

Keep confirmation of the new date. If the provider closes, discuss that separately. Do not automatically treat this as your own absence notification or a voluntary swap.

5. Do not treat reduced attendance as an automatic reduction

Earlier collection, a holiday or reporting absence does not itself change the contract. For less care, ask for a written proposal setting out the new amount. Have the provider explain whether this is a change, partial termination or a different offer, which notice applies and when fewer hours will be billed.

Do not assume one notice period fits every situation. BOinK explains termination and potentially unfair terms, but your question may concern only a partial reduction. If the explanation is unclear, ask what the provider is relying on and seek advice before withholding a payment yourself.

6. Read the change proposal before accepting

Compare the old and new proposals for days, annual or monthly hours, rate, effective date and conditions. Check whether anything changes beyond your requested schedule. A convenient new day is no reason to leave an unclear charge unresolved.

A short confirmation question could be: “Does this mean Thursday is added from 1 November, Monday stays and Friday ends? Which hours and monthly charges apply, and until when do I pay for the old Friday?” Use your own proposal's dates; this is an example, not a recommended notice period.

For BSO, check the school-term and holiday offer. For childminder care, also check whether an agency fee changes. Keep the revised document and answers to your questions so that you can compare the first invoice with an actual agreement.

7. Update childcare benefit using confirmed details

Dienst Toeslagen asks you to report changes, including more or fewer hours and a different hourly rate, promptly and within four weeks through Mijn toeslagen or the app. Use the changed contract details and check the effective date. Do not assume a request to your provider automatically updates your own benefit information.

Do not reconstruct the amounts from your weekly calendar alone. Ask which monthly hours and rates apply to the revised offer. A swap within an unchanged package can differ from additional paid hours. The childcare benefit guide helps distinguish the invoice from the benefit; the eventual amount depends on your circumstances.

8. Example: extra Thursdays now, fewer Friday hours later

Imagine a parent needing extra care on Thursday for three weeks, followed by fewer Friday hours. The parent first asks whether the three specific Thursdays can be provided and what they cost. The Friday reduction is discussed as a separate change, with its own effective date.

The provider confirms two Thursdays but has not confirmed the third. The parent therefore does not count the third as arranged. Next, the parent checks the Friday change proposal and keeps both confirmations. This keeps the temporary extension and lasting reduction separate.

9. Check implementation and the first bill

Ask whether the staff welcoming your child know about the new schedule. On the first changed invoice, check dates, hours and rates. If something differs, attach the relevant confirmation and ask a focused question. An old schedule entry in an app and a new invoice may be updated differently; ask for an explanation.

If your provider cannot meet your ongoing needs, explore alternatives through comparing childcare. Ask those providers directly about your requested days too. Opvango can help with finding options and preparing questions; an additional or swapped day must be confirmed by the provider.

Sources and review

Sources checked on 11 October 2026. The checklist and example are editorial tools. Your provider's availability, change conditions and charges require separate confirmation. The source pages below are in Dutch.

• BOinK: contract questions, day swaps and changed hours
• BOinK: the childcare contract
• BOinK: cancellation and termination
• Dienst Toeslagen: reporting childcare changes