The occupancy rate in Flemish childcare centres was 75% last year, according to figures from the Agency for Growing Up reported by Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday and also published in De Standaard and Het Belang van Limburg.
This means that one in four licensed places is unfilled each day, often due to children’s illnesses or parents taking leave.
Occupancy for places where parents pay according to their income was 75.3% last year, similar to the previous year. In less subsidised childcare places, the average occupancy fell to 73.5%, a decrease of 2.4% from 2023.
Despite this, childcare faces a structural shortfall of 30,000 places. Caroline Gennez, Minister of Welfare, has allocated funding for an additional 10,000 places.
Nele Wouters of the Agency for Growing Up considers the idea of enrolling more children than the licensed capacity and occasionally exceeding numbers as undesirable. “The regulations are clear,” she stated, “to ensure that childcare remains sustainable and safe.”
