The Dutch government is discuss­ing options for specialised childcare with the local ad­ministrators of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, it was stated by State Secretary of Participation and Integra­tion Jurgen Nobel in a let­ter sent to the Dutch Sec­ond Chamber of Parliament last week. This because an investigation into the cost of caring for children who need extra support con­cluded that the current sub­sidy for childcare providers is insufficient.

In response to many pov­erty issues, risk of educa­tional disadvantage, high cost of childcare and lack of policy, the BES(t) 4 kids programme was launched in 2019, Nobel writes. “Since then, the public en­tities Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius and the min­istries of Social Affairs and Employment, Education, Culture and Science, Public Health, Welfare and Sport and the Interior and King­dom Relations have been working together to set up a system for high-quality, safe and (financially) acces­sible childcare in the Carib­bean Netherlands, so that children (0-12 years) have a perspective of a better fu­ture and parents can go to work.”

The public entities re­quested specialised child­care — so-called plus care — because currently, there are few options for care for children with special needs, for example due to autism or a language deficiency.

That is why the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment SZW started a pilot project in September 2021with sev­eral childcare organisations on the three islands. The ministry also commissioned a study on the possibilities and financing of special care.

“The study shows that the cost of plus care exceeds the available budget. I am in talks with the islands about the follow-up. In the meantime, the existing pilots for plus care will be continued,” writes Nobel. Three organisations are currently participating in the pilot on Bonaire and three on St Eustatius and Saba.

The study, conducted by the Economic Bureau Am­sterdam, charts the require­ments for special care. The educational requirements for staff are higher than for regular care, so salary costs are also higher. In addition, children with additional support needs need more space, so housing costs will also rise. Thus, “the fund­ing for regular childcare does not cover the cost of plus care,” the researchers argued.

The researchers also looked at the impact on the islands’ education centres: the Expertise Centre for Education Care Bonaire, the Expertise Centre St Eustatius and the Expertise Centre Education Care on Saba. These three expertise centres now provide guid­ance to pupils and students on the islands. For those tasks, together they receive US $3.6 million a year, which counts for $727 per pupil or student.

With the expansion of plus care, these centres will also have to provide guidance to children under four years old. “For instance, they will carry out diagnostics, provide advice to care or­ganisations and supervise children,” the researchers stated. These additional tasks will require at least one additional expert per island and the usual fee per child, it was explained.

The Daily Herald.