Evaluation of the COVID-19 regulations for childcare and emergency care.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the childcare sector in the Netherlands was (partly) closed three times. Emergency care was always provided for specific target groups: children of parents/caretakers with essential professions and vulnerable children. The closure of childcare facilities naturally posed the risk that parents/caretakers might not want (or be able) to continue paying for childcare. This could have led to childcare institutions going bankrupt, a reduction in the availability of childcare places (once closures were no longer necessary), and parents/caretakers losing their child's spot. To maintain stability in the sector during this period and provide parents/caretakers with certainty regarding ongoing availability, financial support from the government was provided to cover childcare costs through the TTKO, TTKZO, and municipal schemes. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Ministerie van SZW) commissioned Dialogic and Oberon to evaluate the TTKO, TTKZO, municipal schemes, and emergency care. The evaluation focused on implementation, efficiency, effectiveness, and reach. The evaluation involved surveys of parents/caretakers (n=977), childcare organisations (n=399), and municipalities (n=13), interviews (n=26), literature review, focus groups (n=3), and international comparison. The evaluation revealed that the childcare sector remained stable and resilient during and after the pandemic. Without these schemes, a significant portion of businesses in this sector would have faced bankruptcy or serious financial troubles. Moreover, a majority of parents/caretakers were able to retain their childcare spots following the lockdowns. The high effectiveness of the schemes can be attributed to the societal importance attached to this sector, which motivated all involved parties to uphold childcare services. Parents/caretakers were further incentivised to continue paying for childcare due to adequate compensation. However, some childcare organisations struggled to maintain sufficient staffing levels during and after the lockdowns due to various external factors. Emergency care also had a positive impact on the stability of the sector, ensuring that locations could remain operational during lockdowns and facilitating a relatively smooth transition back to regular operations. Emergency care services were excellent, with emergency care available in nearly all municipalities (98%). A significant portion of parents/caretakers with essential professions were able to carry out their work effectively. The collaboration between the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), GGD GHOR, and SZW was highly rated, resulting in swift arrangements for safe emergency care implementation. Communication from the government to parents/caretakers regarding emergency care availability for those with essential professions and children in vulnerable positions was sufficient. Childcare organisations also reported being adequately informed about expectations regarding emergency care organisation. However, there was some uncertainty regarding the timing of new measures and the interpretation of these measures by childcare organisations. Additionally, childcare organisations found it challenging to decide whether to admit children to emergency care. A large number of families (60-65%) were eligible for emergency care due to at least one parent having an essential profession. Nearly all eligible individuals were aware of their eligibility, with 20% utilising emergency care during the initial lockdown, increasing over time to about half of eligible individuals. The main reasons for limited emergency care usage were that parents/caretakers did not require it as they could work from home and fears of infections at childcare facilities. The decreasing fear of infections may explain the growth in emergency care utilisation. Determining which individuals were eligible for emergency care posed a challenge for childcare organisations, as they had to rely on parents/caretakers to indicate essential professions and found it difficult to assess the accuracy of this information. Additionally, the list of essential professions was subject to change. Finally, childcare organisations struggled to enforce rules with parents/caretakers suspected of not having essential professions. Municipalities and childcare organisations provided tailored support for vulnerable children in childcare. Emergency care effectively reduced the risk of deterioration in positions of vulnerable children, although assessing the extent of this impact was challenging due to uncertainty about the reach of children in vulnerable positions. Nevertheless, there were positive indications. The evaluation highlighted several unintended consequences, such as elevating the public perception of childcare through emergency services, which played a vital role for parents with essential professions. Conversely, the mental burden on parents/caretakers without essential professions increased as they had to juggle work, caregiving, household responsibilities, and educational tasks while being excluded from emergency care. The efficiency of each scheme is detailed in the report. Recommendations The collaboration within the childcare sector was crucial in successfully implementing these measures. It is important to maintain these networks to enable future utilisation. Collaboration with external parties, such as parents/caretakers and schools, proved challenging. Communication and coordination with parents/caretakers and schools often fell to childcare organisations, highlighting the need for improved networks, defined responsibilities, and a more comprehensive approach towards children. An integrated approach during a crisis necessitates clear coordination of responsibilities between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science. Currently, there is a lack of data (such as figures) on vulnerable children per municipality. Collecting more data on this demographic is recommended to evaluate policies effectively. The evaluation also noted several secondary effects of the lockdowns on the physical and mental health of children, parents/caretakers, and childcare employees, which emerged in nearly all interviews and surveys. Such effects included mental stress due to uncertainties and the adjustment period for children following the opening or closure of childcare facilities. It is crucial to take early signals of potential side effects seriously, communicate them to relevant government officials, and consider them in policy decisions. The research report was submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives on 18 November.