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Investors are tightening their grip on childcare

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Throughout the country, investors are buying up childcare organizations. Part of the sector and the House of Representatives want a ban on profit distributions, especially if childcare becomes almost free.
Author: 
Smith, Richard
Format: 
Article
Publication Date: 
21 Mar 2022

EXCERPTS [via Google Translate]

In brief

  • The share of childcare owned by large investors has risen to about 15% in recent years.
  • Part of the sector and the House of Representatives want a ban on profit distributions in the sector, so that the money goes back to the shelter.
  • Investors argue that a ban on profit does not affect them directly, because they only make a return on the sale of childcare at a later date.

'Large investors are going through the industry like vacuum cleaners to buy up smaller childcare organizations to later sell them with a lot of profit,' says Loes Ypma. She is the chairperson of Branchevereniging Social Childcare (BMK), the part of approximately 40% of the market that operates on a non-profit basis. She hears from many members that investors are looking for buyable organizations. Other parties confirm that.

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"It is bizarre that the cabinet wants to make childcare free, without doing anything about profit distributions"

- Spokesperson for the GroenLinks parliamentary party

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