Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO)

What Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO) does

Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO), doing business as OCO Amsterdam, is an independent, non-profit consumer organization that provides free, confidential educational advisory services to parents, guardians, and students across Amsterdam's preschool, primary, secondary, mbo, and hbo systems. The organization is headquartered at Waterlooplein 123-boven, 1011 PG Amsterdam, and is structurally unaffiliated with any school or educational institution, positioning itself as an independent consumer-protection body for education. In 2026 it rebranded from 'Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie' to 'OCO Amsterdam', retaining the abbreviation as the official trade name.

The core product portfolio centers on the Adviespunt (Advice Point), a multi-channel consultation service reachable by phone (020-330 63 20), WhatsApp (06 1600 4600), email ([email protected]), and in-person walk-in hours at OBA Osdorp (Tuesdays 15:00-17:00) and OBA Bijlmerplein (Thursdays 15:00-17:00). Supporting products include the Voor Ouders and Voor Leerlingen & Studenten information sections, the OCO Onderwijsgids independent education guide, the Oudersteunpunt parent support point, and an extensive FAQ covering school choice, Cito scores, compulsory education age, voluntary parent contributions, and mbo-to-hbo transitions. The website is published in 11+ languages to serve Amsterdam's diverse population. OCO does not operate proprietary technology; service delivery is human-advisory and content-driven rather than platform- or AI-based.

OCO's business model is non-commercial: all advisory services are free to end users, with no fees, subscriptions, or paid tiers disclosed. Revenue is inferred to derive from public or municipal funding and subsidies granted to support its consumer-protection mandate. The go-to-market motion is community-led and direct-to-consumer, supplemented by event-driven engagement such as co-organized parent webinars with BBO (Basisschool Besturen Organisatie) on school choice and the Amsterdam lottery. Operating geography is restricted to the Amsterdam metropolitan area.

Name

Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO)

Legal name

Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie

Website

https://onderwijsconsument.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OCO Amsterdam is an independent, non-profit consumer organization that provides free, confidential educational advisory services to parents, guardians, and students navigating Amsterdam's preschool, primary, secondary, mbo, and hbo systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: OCO operates as an independent consumer organization for education in Amsterdam, likely funded through public/municipal funding or subsidies to provide free advisory services to parents and students.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OCO Amsterdam provides free, independent, and confidential advisory services to parents, students, and pupils regarding education in Amsterdam. The core offering is the Adviespunt (Advice Point), which delivers personalized guidance on school choice, enrollment, educational support, and school-related complaints and problems, accessible via phone, WhatsApp, email, and in-person walk-in consultation hours at OBA public libraries.

Product overview

Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO), operating as OCO Amsterdam, is an independent consumer organization offering a unified information and advisory service for parents, students, and pupils in Amsterdam. The portfolio consists of the core Adviespunt (Advice Point) service providing personalized consultation via phone, WhatsApp, email, and walk-in hours, supported by dedicated information sections for parents (Voor Ouders) and students (Voor Leerlingen & Studenten), plus the OCO Onderwijsgids (Education Guide), the Oudersteunpunt (Parent Support Point), and a comprehensive FAQ section. The organization operates independently and confidentially, helping users navigate school choice, educational support, and school-related problems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adviespunt (Advice Point) A consultation service where parents, students, and pupils can ask questions about education in Amsterdam, including school choice, support at school, and problems at school. Available via phone, WhatsApp, email, and walk-in consultation hours at OBA Osdorp and OBA Bijlmerplein.
• Voor Ouders (For Parents) Information service providing answers about school choice, support at school, important transition moments, parental rights and obligations, and how to communicate with schools. Targeted at parents and guardians of children in Amsterdam's education system.
• Voor Leerlingen & Studenten (For Students) Information service for students providing answers about school, support, and study choices, including their rights and obligations and how to communicate with schools. Targeted at students in Amsterdam's primary, secondary, mbo, and hbo education.
• OCO Onderwijsgids (OCO Education Guide) An independent education guide for parents in Amsterdam, providing guidance on education matters.
• Oudersteunpunt (Parent Support Point) A support service for parents providing additional resources and assistance for navigating the Amsterdam education system.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BBO (Basisschool Besturen Organisatie)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 May 2026BBO and OCO co-organize webinars for parents about school choice and the Amsterdam school lottery system. This partnership leverages BBO's school board expertise with OCO's parent-focused advisory services to provide comprehensive education guidance to Amsterdam parents.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Studiekeuze123: Dutch public study-choice information platform helping mbo/hbo/wo students navigate program selection. Overlaps with OCO's Voor Leerlingen & Studenten offering on study-choice guidance, transitions (e.g., mbo-to-hbo), and educational rights.
• Ouders & Onderwijs: National Dutch organization providing independent information and advice to parents about the Dutch education system. Closest direct peer to OCO — same target audience (parents), same advisory/consumer-protection remit, but operating at the national level rather than Amsterdam-only.
• Eigen&Wijzer: Dutch education information initiative helping parents make school-choice decisions. Direct functional peer to OCO's school-choice and parental-rights advisory content, though operating at national scope.
• VOO (Vereniging voor Openbaar Onderwijs): Dutch association focused on public education and parent voice in school governance. Comparable to OCO in providing parents an independent platform for education questions, school-choice guidance, and rights advocacy.
• BOink (Belangengroep Ouders In het Katholiek onderwijs): Dutch parents' interest organization advocating for parents in Catholic and general primary education. Comparable to OCO as a parent-advocacy body navigating school choice, school communication, and parental rights, though denominationally scoped.

Emerging players

• GreatSchools: US-based parent-facing platform providing school information, reviews, and education guidance to families. International functional analogue of OCO's mission to help parents navigate school choice and school-related issues, though commercial rather than publicly funded.

Others

• VO-raad: Sector organization for Dutch secondary education. Comparable as an ecosystem stakeholder covering the secondary-school transition advice OCO delivers to parents and students moving into voortgezet onderwijs.
• PO-Raad: Sector organization for Dutch primary education, representing school boards. Touches the same Amsterdam primary-school ecosystem OCO advises parents on, particularly around school choice and parental contributions.
• MBO Raad: Sector organization for Dutch vocational education (mbo). Relevant to OCO's coverage of mbo-to-hbo transitions and post-secondary study choices, though operating on the school-board side rather than the parent/student side.

Broad incumbents

• DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs): Dutch government agency administering education funding, student loans, and education-related information. Overlaps with OCO's informational remit for students and parents, but at national/government scale and with regulatory reach OCO does not have.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocoamsterdam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Onderwijs Consumenten Organisatie (OCO)