What Vriendjes does

Vriendjes (operating as Vriendjes Kinderopvang) is a Dutch private childcare and youth care organization headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 2010 by Jacob van Goor and Judith Mariën, with Conny de Waardt and Ilse Agterberg as co-builders. It operates nine physical locations across Zeist, Utrecht, and Houten serving children from 3 months to 13 years, with approximately 80 employees. The company runs two primary service lines: Kinderdagverblijf (KDV) daycare for children aged 3 months to 5 years, and Buitenschoolse Opvang (BSO) afterschool care for children aged 4 to 13, supplemented by Plus-groepen—specialized small-group programs for children with developmental delays, ASD characteristics, medical care needs, or special-education backgrounds, delivered via multidisciplinary teams including physiotherapists, orthopedagogues, and speech therapists.

The underlying operating model is fundamentally human-capital- and location-intensive rather than technology-intensive: there is no proprietary platform, no disclosed API, and no AI/ML component. Service delivery occurs exclusively at physical sites (some co-located with schools such as Rafaelschool ZMLK, Marcusschool, De Wissel, and De Lux), with a third-party enrollment system (KidsKonnect) and parent portal (Ouderportaal) handling non-clinical administration. Recent footprint expansion includes the Aalscholverlaan site in Zeist (2024, with 4 KDV, 3 BSO, and 2 Plus-groepen groups adjacent to Jungle Gemz play paradise) and BSO Lux in Utrecht (2023, in cooperation with De Lux primary school).

Vriendjes generates revenue on an hourly subscription basis at publicly disclosed rates of €11.89/hour for regular KDV, €11.22/hour for KDV on Wednesdays or Fridays, €11/hour for BSO, and €11/hour own-contribution for Plus-groepen—partially offset by Belastingdienst childcare allowance, Jeugdwet (youth law) municipal dispositions, and WLZ (long-term care law) funding for special-needs cases. Approximately half of locations operate under Jeugdzorg and half under Kinderopvang. Customer segments span working parents (including irregular-shift workers in healthcare and aviation via Flexibele Opvang), children with special care needs, and special-education students. The organization pursues a relationship-driven, direct-to-consumer GTM with website/contact-form acquisition, guided tours, and word-of-mouth referral; acquisition is constrained to the Utrecht province micro-region with no disclosed expansion plans beyond it.

Name

Vriendjes

Legal name

Vriendjes

Website

https://vriendjes.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vriendjes (Vriendjes Kinderopvang) is a Dutch private childcare and youth care organization operating nine locations across Zeist, Utrecht, and Houten, serving children aged 3 months to 13 years with daycare, afterschool care, and specialized Plus-groepen for children with developmental or medical needs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

24-Hour / Extended-Hours Childcare Centers (EDACAAAK)

Keywords

• Childcare services
• Daycare center
• After-school care
• Specialized youth care
• Preschool education

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Daycare (KDV) Services: Hourly-based childcare services for children from 3 months to 5 years. Standard rate is €11.89 per hour, with reduced rate of €11.22 per hour for Wednesday or Friday. Parents pay based on hours contracted, with flexible packages available.
2. Afterschool Care (BSO) Services: Afterschool childcare for children from 4 to 13 years. Standard rate of €11 per hour with 52-week contract. Flexible arrangements available including school-week-only or holiday-only packages.
3. Plus-Groepen (Special Care) Services: Specialized care for children with developmental delays, medical needs, or behavioral challenges. Financed through youth law (Jeugdwet), long-term care law (WLZ), or combination thereof. Own contribution of €11 per hour with potential tax relief.
4. Ambulant Begeleiding (Mobile Support): Mobile support services provided at schools, youth care groups, or regular childcare settings. Requires youth law (Jeugdwet) disposition from municipality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vriendjes provides hourly-based daycare (KDV) for children aged 3 months to 5 years and after-school care (BSO) for children aged 4 to 13 years at approximately 11 physical locations across Zeist, Utrecht, and Houten. It supplements these core services with specialized Plus-groepen for children with developmental delays, medical needs, or behavioral challenges, as well as flexible childcare arrangements, ambulant youth support, and parent portal access. Revenue is generated through parental fees (€11-€11.89/hour), Dutch childcare allowance reimbursements, and municipal Jeugdwet/WLZ financing for special-care placements.

Product overview

Vriendjes is a combined childcare (kinderopvang) and youth care (jeugdzorg) organization operating 11 locations in Zeist, Utrecht, and Houten. The core offering consists of Kinderdagverblijf (KDV) for children 3 months to 5 years and Buitenschoolse Opvang (BSO) for children 4-13 years, supplemented by specialized Plus-groepen for children with special care needs including developmental delays, medical requirements, and behavioral support. The organization provides flexible scheduling options, ambulatory support services, a confidential youth care advocate, and children's party events. Founded in 2010, Vriendjes employs approximately 80 people and collaborates with municipalities, healthcare institutions, CJG, speech therapy practices, and orthopedagogues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kinderdagverblijf (KDV) Daycare service for children from 3 months to 5 years old, providing care and developmental activities during working hours at multiple locations in Zeist and Utrecht with flexible scheduling options (morning, afternoon, full-day, shortened day, every-other-week, fully flexible).
• Buitenschoolse Opvang (BSO) After-school care service for children aged 4 to 13 years, including transportation via BSO bus (Stint), structured activities, and integration with school schedules. Available at multiple Zeist, Utrecht, and Houten locations.
• Plus-groepen (Special Care)

Quantifiable outcome

• Small group sizes: approximately half the group size of regular BSO
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Logopediepraktijk Goed GestemdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeech therapy practice partnership for providing logopedic services to children in Plus-groepen.
• Orthopedagogues (3)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree orthopedagogues provide professional guidance to Plus-groepen, working cyclically on 3-month goals with children and multidisciplinary teams.
• Gemeenten (Municipalities)coreOthersMunicipalities provide partial funding for children with special care needs through Jeugdwet (youth law) and WLZ (long-term care act) arrangements. Municipalities co-finance specialized Plus-groepen care to keep costs reasonable for parents.
• CJG (Centrum voor Jeugd en Gezin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Youth and Family collaborates on youth care matters and provides dispositions for ambulant guidance services.
• Zorginstellingen (Healthcare Institutions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare institutions collaborate with Vriendjes on youth care integration and placement matters.
• De HoogstraatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRehabilitation provider that offers integrated revalidation services at BSO Ariane de Ranitz location, allowing children to receive rehabilitation after school without leaving class.
• Ludens / Kind & CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVE (Vroegkinderlijke Educatie) location partner adjacent to Plus-groep at Marcusschool, enabling integrated early childhood education environment.
• JeugdstemminorOthersIndependent foundation of trust persons in youth care. Provides free information, advice, and support to children, youth, and adults with questions about youth care. Vriendjes refers parents and children to Jeugdstem for independent complaint handling.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Vriendjes-flexibele-kinderopvang-1156978711023774
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vriendjes-kinderopvang
• Instagraminstagram.com/vriendjeskinderopvang

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vriendjes