Making a childcare complaint: steps, evidence and the right route

A childcare complaint usually starts with the provider, following its internal complaints procedure. Explain what happened, what you have already discussed and what you want resolved. If you cannot reach a solution, the Klachtenloket Kinderopvang and the Geschillencommissie Kinderopvang offer further routes in the Netherlands. Reporting a quality or safety concern to the GGD serves a different purpose: regulatory supervision.

This guide helps turn an unclear concern into a specific next step. It may concern communication, an arrangement within the group, a bill or how your contract is carried out. If there is immediate danger, prioritise safety and appropriate help rather than waiting for a routine complaints process.

1. Decide what you want resolved

Write down one main question. For example: why was an agreed message about collection not passed on, or which contractual arrangement explains additional hours on a bill? Then identify what you are asking for: an explanation, an arrangement put right, a corrected invoice or a plan to prevent the problem recurring.

Separate an individual complaint from a broader quality concern. One event can justify both, but the organisations involved have different roles. Reporting to the GGD is not a request to correct your bill. Equally, correcting that bill does not automatically resolve a question about how the group operates.

2. Keep a small file of facts and arrangements

Record when an event occurred, the location and group, whom you spoke to and their response. Keep the relevant contract version, messages and invoices. Distinguish what you saw yourself, what someone told you and what remains unknown. This helps you ask questions without presenting a suspicion as an established fact.

• A short timeline of events and conversations.
• The particular arrangement or document you are relying on.
• The effects on your family, described clearly.
• Your requested solution and the unanswered points.

Share only information needed for the complaint, using the designated channel. Avoid putting information or photographs of other children in a public review or group chat. Your own notes do not prove everything that happened, but they help keep the conversation consistent.

3. Speak to the person who can address the issue

For an everyday care arrangement, ask for a conversation with the relevant staff member or manager. Discuss an unclear invoice with someone who can explain the agreement and administration. This avoids asking staff supervising the group for a financial answer they may not be able to provide.

Be specific: “On Monday we agreed that I would receive a message if the collection time changed. I did not receive one. What happened, and how will we confirm the arrangement for next week?” After the conversation, send a short summary and ask for confirmation. Add any explanation that changes your initial understanding to your notes too.

4. Submit a written internal complaint if needed

If the conversation does not resolve the problem, find the provider's complaints procedure and use the named contact or submission route. Make clear that this is an internal complaint. BOinK explains that a written, reasoned assessment, including any measures, must follow promptly and within six weeks.

A useful structure for your message is:

• Subject: an internal complaint about a specific event or arrangement.
• Situation: the date, location and a short factual account.
• Earlier steps: whom you spoke to and the result.
• Attachments: only the relevant messages, contract passage or invoice.
• Request: the explanation or solution you seek and points needing an answer.

Keep your sent message and request an acknowledgement. Track the period from submission of the complaint. An acknowledgement or promise to look into it is not yet a substantive assessment. If you cannot find the procedure or receive no clear response, ask for advice about the next step.

5. Ask the Klachtenloket for advice and assistance

The Klachtenloket Kinderopvang provides parents with information and advice and can help seek a solution. Have your main question, timeline and the provider's response ready. Ask which procedure fits your situation and what information is missing. You do not need to solve every legal question yourself before seeking assistance.

The complaints service and disputes committee have different roles. The service helps with discussion and, where appropriate, mediation; the committee formally considers a dispute. The committee says using the service can be helpful, but is not compulsory. Check the conditions for submitting your dispute nonetheless.

6. Check the disputes committee's current procedure

If the dispute continues, read the current information from the Geschillencommissie Kinderopvang, the Dutch childcare disputes committee. Check whether the internal steps have been completed or an exception may apply. Review submission requirements, time limits, documents and the complaint fee. Do not assume a discussion or report to another body automatically pauses every deadline.

BOinK explains the childminder complaints route. The party your complaint concerns matters. The committee considers complaints against the childminder agency, not directly against the childminder. The agency's procedure also addresses complaints about a childminder's conduct. Ask the agency how it will handle your complaint and keep the agreement or agreements for your placement.

7. Report quality concerns to the relevant GGD

Report quality or safety concerns to the GGD for the region where the provider is located. The Dutch government describes this as supervision, rather than resolving individual complaints. Give the location, date and specific practice. A report does not guarantee an additional inspection or a particular outcome.

You can read the location's GGD inspection report to understand earlier findings and follow-up. It does not replace your current observations. For a matter affecting several parents, consider informing the parent committee. BOinK distinguishes the parent committee’s policy role from individual complaint handling.

8. Check the solution before closing your file

Imagine that additional care hours were billed incorrectly. A corrected invoice may resolve the money issue while leaving it unclear how extra hours are requested and confirmed. Ask for both parts: the correction and a practical arrangement for future requests. Keep follow-up specific and manageable.

If you decide to find another provider, check the placement and contract dates when changing care. Making a complaint does not automatically end your contract. When comparing new childcare options, ask how communication, complaints and follow-up work in practice. Do not assume that a provider with no public complaints must always be better.

Sources and review

Sources checked on 11 October 2026. The timeline, message structure and examples are editorial tools. Before submitting a formal dispute, check the responsible body's current procedure. The source pages below are in Dutch.

• Dutch government: childcare complaints and concerns
• BOinK: complaint steps and rights
• Klachtenloket Kinderopvang: information for parents
• Childcare disputes committee: scope and procedure
• BOinK: complaints in childminder care