Kinderopvang Skar

What Kinderopvang Skar does

Kinderopvang Skar is a Dutch childcare provider headquartered in Arnhem, operating approximately 60 Skar-branded locations across Arnhem and surrounding municipalities (Overbetuwe, Lingewaard, Renkum, Oosterhout). Founded on 1 August 1899 as Vereeniging Kinderbewaarplaats Arnhem and rebranded to Skar in 1988, the organization celebrated its 125-year anniversary in 2024 and is today a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wij zijn JONG B.V., a Dutch social enterprise that reinvests revenue rather than distributing profit. Skar's customer base is exclusively individual families: it serves roughly 3,900 children weekly in day care and toddler care, plus approximately 4,100 children weekly in after-school care, with a combined reach of about 10,000 children across the regional network.

The service portfolio comprises three core lines: Dagopvang (day care, ages 0-4), Peuterwerk (toddler care, ages 2-4, with WKO and N-WKO variants), and Buitenschoolse opvang (BSO, after-school care, ages 4-13). Delivery is anchored by physical locations, complemented by the third-party Konnect-based Ouderportaal and OuderApp (Android and iOS) for parent communication, attendance, invoicing, and daily photo reports, plus internally developed additions such as the Uk & Puk early-childhood program and the Afmelduren cancellation-hours pilot. Additional care days are available to existing customers up to the day-of, subject to staffing ratio and group capacity.

Revenue mechanics are subscription-based and government-subsidized: parents commit to either a 40-week (school weeks only) or 52-week (school plus 12 vacation weeks) arrangement, billed monthly in 12 installments, and eligible families recover a portion of cost through the Dutch kinderopvangtoeslag via Dienst Toeslagen; N-WKO peuterwerk is funded by municipal subsidy. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the Skar website (skar.nl), with self-service enrollment, a cost calculator (rekentool), guided tour requests, and follow-up by customer advisors. The company has grown through a series of regional acquisitions (Kwink in 2011, Spelenderwijs Ede in 2019, Spa/Spo in 2022), integrated under the Wij zijn JONG parent alongside Korein and other divisions.

Name

Kinderopvang Skar

Legal name

Skar B.V.

Website

https://skar.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kinderopvang Skar is a Dutch non-profit childcare provider subsidiary of Wij zijn JONG B.V., operating roughly 60 locations in Arnhem and surrounding municipalities to serve around 10,000 children weekly with daycare, toddler care, and after-school care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA)

Keywords

• Childcare services
• Day care
• After-school care
• Toddler care
• Early childhood education

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Kinderopvang (Childcare) - Dagopvang: Day care services for children aged 0-4 years, offered in 40-week or 52-week arrangements. Billed monthly in 12 installments. Government child care allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) available to eligible parents through Dienst Toeslagen.
2. Peuterwerk (Toddler Care): Toddler care for children aged 2-4 years, offered as either WKO (under the Childcare Act, with child care allowance) or N-WKO (not under the Act, subsidized by the municipality). Billed monthly.
3. Buitenschoolse opvang (BSO) - After-School Care: After-school care for children aged 4-13 years, offered in 40-week or 52-week arrangements. Billed monthly in 12 installments. 40-week arrangement covers school weeks only; 52-week covers school weeks plus 12 vacation weeks.
4. Extra Opvang (Additional Care Days): Incidental extra care days requested by parents beyond their contract, subject to availability. Paid via cancellation hours (afmelduren) or invoiced separately. Not available to non-Skar customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kinderopvang Skar operates physical childcare services for children aged 0-13 years in the Arnhem region, including day care (dagopvang, 0-4 years), toddler care (peuterwerk, 2-4 years), and after-school care (BSO, 4-13 years). The organization delivers these services through approximately 60 physical locations, complemented by the Konnect-based Ouderportaal parent portal and a flexible Afmelduren credit system for additional care days. Skar is a Dutch non-profit subsidiary of Wij zijn JONG B.V.

Product overview

Kinderopvang Skar is a childcare organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for children from 0 to 13 years, including daycare (Dagopvang), toddler care (Peuterwerk), after-school care (BSO), and additional flexible childcare. The organization operates approximately 60 locations across Arnhem and surrounding municipalities, serving over 3,900 children weekly for daycare/toddler care and over 4,100 for BSO. Services are delivered through physical childcare facilities, complemented by the Konnect parent portal (Ouderportaal) for digital access to invoices, attendance management, daily reports, and staff communication. The portfolio also includes the Uk & Puk early childhood development program and the Afmelduren pilot for flexible hour management. Skar is a subsidiary of Wij zijn JONG B.V., which operates 130 locations total.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dagopvang (Day Care, 0-4 years) Daily childcare service for children aged 0-4 years offered in 40-week or 52-week arrangements and billed monthly in 12 installments. Focuses on development, well-being, and individual attention under the Uk & Puk pedagogical program. Government child care allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) available to eligible parents.
• Peuterwerk (Toddler Care, 2-4 years)

Quantifiable outcome

• Served approximately 10,000 children across ~60 locations in Arnhem and surrounding municipalities as of 2024

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Peuterspeelzalen Arnhem/Overbetuwe (Spa/Spo) (acquired)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, Skar acquired Stichting Peuterspeelzalen Arnhem/Overbetuwe (Spa/Spo). These locations continued under the Skar brand name.
• Spelenderwijs Ede (acquired)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, Skar acquired Stichting Spelenderwijs Ede, which had locations in Ede, Lunteren, Wekerom, Bennekom, and Ederveen. These locations were integrated under the Skar brand.
• Korein Groep (now part of Wij zijn JONG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, Korein Groep (Eindhoven) and Skar bundled their forces under a joint structure, retaining their division names. In 2018, the combined group was rebranded as Wij zijn JONG, which now encompasses five divisions including Skar and Korein.
• Kwink (acquired)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011In 2011, Skar acquired Kwink from Veenendaal. Kwink operates 21 locations for day care, toddler care, and after-school care. Kwink continues to operate under its own brand while sharing the same pedagogical vision and strategy within the Wij zijn JONG group.
• KINDwijzercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkar is a member of KINDwijzer, a national network of leading childcare organizations committed to high quality. Member organizations share knowledge, working methods, and best practices while remaining independent. KINDwijzer is affiliated with the overkoepelende organisatie Wij zijn JONG, of which Skar is a subsidiary.
• Expertisecentrum KinderopvangcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkar's parent organization Wij zijn JONG contributes to the Expertisecentrum Kinderopvang, which creates a broad scientific knowledge base for the childcare sector. This enables Skar to access and contribute to research and expertise in early childhood development.
• Summa CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkar collaborates with Summa College for recruitment purposes, offering internships and learning workplaces. The company actively recruits pedagogical staff through this partnership to address personnel shortages.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KION: Large Gelderland-based childcare non-profit (also active in Overijssel and Flevoland) operating daycare, toddler care, and BSO. Geographically adjacent competitor to Skar with very similar operating model under the same Dutch regulatory framework.
• Partou: One of the largest private childcare organizations in the Netherlands operating hundreds of daycare, toddler care, and BSO locations. Directly comparable to Skar on the core service portfolio (kinderopvang, peuterwerk, BSO) and Dutch-government funded revenue model.
• Gro-up: Major Rotterdam-based Dutch childcare provider offering daycare, preschool, after-school care, and youth services. Directly comparable to Skar on service mix (kinderopvang, peuterwerk, BSO) and reliance on government allowances.
• CompaNanny: Dutch premium childcare chain offering daycare and BSO in major Dutch cities. Comparable on service portfolio (kinderopvang en BSO) and regulatory exposure, but differs in commercial (rather than non-profit) ownership and premium positioning.
• Korein (Wij zijn JONG): Sister division within the same parent organization Wij zijn JONG, operating in the Eindhoven region. Shares pedagogical framework, KINDwijzer membership, and corporate parent with Skar while serving a different Dutch region.
• Kind & Co Ludens: Dutch childcare non-profit serving Limburg and Brabant with daycare, toddler care, and BSO services. Directly comparable on social-enterprise ownership model, government-allowance-funded revenue, and full child-age-range service portfolio.
• Humankind: Large Dutch childcare non-profit resulting from the 2023 merger of Skane, Stimulans and other regional providers. Operates daycare, toddler care, and BSO across multiple Dutch regions under the same Wet Kinderopvang regulatory framework as Skar.
• Blosse: Haarlem-region Dutch childcare non-profit offering daycare, preschool education, after-school care, and youth services. Directly comparable on service mix, non-profit structure, and reliance on government child care allowance.

Others

• KINDwijzer network: National network of leading Dutch childcare organizations (of which Skar is a member) focused on quality standards, knowledge sharing, and joint advocacy. Not a direct operator-competitor, but a sector consortium that shapes competitive positioning and best-practice diffusion across all Dutch peers listed above.

Regional players

• GO! Kinderopvang: Flemish childcare operator offering daycare and after-school care in Belgium. Comparable service mix and childcare-as-public-infrastructure model but operates in a different regulatory jurisdiction (Vlaanderen) from Skar's Dutch market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kinderopvangskar
• Xx.com/kov_SKAR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skarvoorkinderen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Kinderopvang Skar