Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Due to closures, Brussels saw a decrease in childcare facilities from 698 in 2018 to 656 in 2022. Despite this, capacity grew to 20,941 places, reflecting shifts in income-related and non-income-related childcare availability.
How has childcare facility availability changed in Brussels?
In the Brussels-Capital Region, the number of childcare facilities has dropped from 698 in 2018 to 656 in 2022. However, during this time, childcare capacity has grown, from 20,194 places in 2018 to 20,941 places in 2022 (+747).
In Brussels, more childcare facilities were closed than opened in the period from 2018 to 2022. This applies to both facilities recognised by Kind & Gezin and those recognised by l’Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE). This was revealed by a study by BISA, the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis.
Nevertheless, the total reception capacity has increased, although there are differences between Kind & Gezin and ONE. For permits recognized by Kind & Gezin, the capacity decreased from 7,038 to 6,763, while at ONE it increased from 13,228 to 14,250.
Which municipalities saw the most and least facility closures?
Another striking feature is that capacity increased in facilities with income-related childcare places, while it decreased in facilities that do not work with the income tariff. Facilities recognized by Kind & Gezin without an income-related contribution lost almost 800 places, while the capacity in income-related childcare increased by more than 500 places. This trend is also evident in ONE facilities, with a decrease of more than 400 places in non-income-related facilities and an increase of almost 500 places for income-related facilities.
In absolute numbers, the number of openings of new facilities between 2018 and 2022 was highest in the municipalities of Brussels (32 new facilities), Anderlecht (18) and Ixelles (12), and lowest in the municipalities of Koekelberg (1), Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe (2) and Forest (4). The number of closures was highest in the municipalities of Brussels (47), Uccle (27) and Schaerbeek (23), and lowest in the municipalities of Koekelberg (1), Sint-Joost-ten-Node (3) and Forest (5).
What factors influence the opening and closing of childcare facilities?
When a facility ceases, individual reasons are mainly cited, while financial reasons, cancellation of permits, relocations and reforms in the sector may also have played a role, it further appears.
The institute does point out that the information on childcare facilities is relatively limited, which means that it cannot investigate certain factors that could explain. “A lack of information on the financial situation of the facilities or the lifespan of the facilities does not allow us to investigate whether these factors play a possible role in the closures,” according to BISA. Additional research is needed into the risk factors for closures and the factors that delay the opening of new facilities, it says.
