Two Calendars: Dutch vs. International Schools
For families with one child at Teddy KDV and one at TISA or ISL — why studiedagen, herfstvakantie, and Sinterklaasavond don't line up, and how to plan around it.
You have a toddler at Teddy Kids following the Dutch KDV calendar (studiedagen, herfstvakantie, Sinterklaasavond) and an older sibling at TISA or another international school following an IB or American-style calendar (fall break, winter break, spring break). The two calendars don't match, and national holidays sometimes close both but not always. This is a practical decoder for families juggling both: what each calendar type means, which days overlap, which don't, and how to plan coverage when one child is off and the other isn't.
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Last updated: 20 August 2026
The calendar mismatch that nobody warns you about
If you have one child at Teddy Kids (or any Dutch KDV/BSO) and another at TISA, ISL, or another international school, you're managing two calendars that don't sync. Dutch schools and daycare follow a national holiday schedule plus regional studiedagen (teacher training days); international schools follow an IB, American, or British calendar with fall break, winter break, and spring break. The two rarely line up.
National public holidays (Koningsdag, Hemelvaart, Tweede Kerstdag) usually close both, but not always — some daycare stays open on days when schools are closed, and vice versa. Add Sinterklaasavond (December 5, a big Dutch evening but not a public holiday) and you have a calendar-juggling act that requires advance planning. This guide is the decoder.
The two calendar systems, side by side
This is the structural difference. Dutch KDV/BSO follows the regional Dutch school calendar (studiedagen plus official school holidays); international schools follow their own globally-aligned calendar. Neither is right or wrong — they're just different, and you're caught in the middle.
Dutch KDV/BSO calendar
- Studiedagen (training days): ~5–8 per year, dates set by regional school board (scholenorganisatie)
- Herfstvakantie (autumn break): 1 week, usually late October
- Kerstvakantie (Christmas break): ~2 weeks, wraps around Christmas and New Year
- Voorjaarsvakantie (spring break): 1 week, usually late February or early March (regional variation)
- Meivakantie (May break): 1 week, usually late April / early May, overlaps with Koningsdag (April 27)
- Summer closure: varies by provider — Teddy Kids closes for 3–4 weeks in August; some KDV closes longer
International school calendar (TISA IB as proxy)
- Fall break: 1 week, usually mid-October (often earlier than Dutch herfstvakantie)
- Winter break: ~2 weeks, wraps around Christmas and New Year (usually overlaps with Dutch kerstvakantie)
- Spring break: 1 week, usually late March or early April (often doesn't overlap with Dutch voorjaarsvakantie)
- May break: often none or very short — TISA and ISL don't typically have a full meivakantie
- Summer holiday: starts late June, ends late August (similar length to Dutch, but start/end dates may differ by 1–2 weeks)
- No studiedagen equivalent — teacher training is scheduled differently
These are typical patterns — exact dates change every year. Always check your daycare's and school's published calendars in June/July for the upcoming academic year.
The national holidays that affect both (and the ones that don't)
The Netherlands has a handful of national public holidays (feestdagen) that close most businesses, schools, and daycare. Some are guaranteed closures for both calendars; others are culturally significant but not public holidays, which is where the confusion happens.
Koningsdag (King's Day, April 27)
National public holiday — both Dutch daycare/schools and international schools are closed. Orange street parties, flea markets, and boat parades. Falls during or near meivakantie for Dutch schools, often a non-break day for international schools.
Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day, May 5)
Commemorates the end of WWII occupation. It's a public holiday every 5 years (lustrum years: 2025, 2030, etc.); in other years it's celebrated but not an official day off. Many Dutch schools are closed anyway; KDV and international schools may stay open. Check your specific provider's calendar.
Hemelvaart (Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter)
Public holiday — both calendars close. Always a Thursday, which makes the following Friday (vrijdag na Hemelvaart) a bridge day that many schools and KDV also close for an informal long weekend.
Pinksteren (Pentecost, 50 days after Easter)
Tweede Pinksterdag (Pentecost Monday) is a public holiday — both calendars close. Eerste Pinksterdag (Sunday) is not a work/school day anyway.
Sinterklaasavond (December 5)
NOT a public holiday, but culturally huge in the Netherlands — families celebrate with gifts and poems in the evening. Dutch KDV is usually open during the day (it's a regular work day), but some providers close early or have adjusted hours. International schools (especially those with many Dutch families) may acknowledge it but stay on regular schedule. Plan for evening commitments, not a full day off.
Kerstvakantie (Christmas break)
Eerste Kerstdag (Dec 25) and Tweede Kerstdag (Dec 26) are public holidays — both calendars close. The surrounding ~2-week break usually overlaps for Dutch and international schools, though start/end dates may differ by a day or two.
Planning strategies for non-overlapping days
When one child is off and the other isn't, you need a plan. Here's how families with two calendars manage it — learned from years of Teddy Kids + TISA/ISL families doing exactly this.
What usually overlaps (the easy weeks)
- Kerstvakantie (Christmas break) — almost always overlaps fully
- Summer holidays — start/end may differ by 1–2 weeks, but most of August is off for both
- Public holidays (Koningsdag, Hemelvaart, Tweede Kerstdag) — guaranteed closures for both
Tactics that work
- Print both calendars side by side in July and mark non-overlapping closure days immediately
- Book vacation days in advance for days when both children are home but you're not off work
- Negotiate remote work flexibility with your employer for studiedagen and bridge days
- Trade coverage with another two-calendar family — you cover their TISA break day, they cover your KDV studiedag
- Hire a babysitter or nanny for the handful of truly mismatched days (usually 5–10 per year)
- Ask grandparents or family to visit during predictable mismatch weeks (e.g., spring break)
The mismatch hot spots (and how to handle them)
These are the three calendar windows that trip up two-calendar families most often. Mark them now.
Fall break mismatch
OctoberInternational schools (TISA, ISL) usually have fall break mid-October; Dutch herfstvakantie is often late October. If they don't overlap, you have ~1 week when your older child is home and your toddler is still at daycare, followed by ~1 week when both are home.
- Check if the two breaks overlap at all — if they do, take vacation during the overlap and you're covered
- If they don't overlap, decide which week is harder to cover alone and book vacation or remote work for that one
- Alternatively, treat it as a "one parent, one child" week — one parent works, the other covers the child at home
Spring break mismatch
March / AprilDutch voorjaarsvakantie is usually late February or early March (regional); TISA/ISL spring break is often late March or early April. These rarely overlap, which means two separate weeks of coverage needed.
- This is the hardest mismatch — two full weeks, often a month apart
- Book vacation for one break and negotiate remote work or split-parenting for the other
- Consider a short family trip during the overlap of the two (if any) to knock out both at once
- Ask grandparents to visit for one of the weeks — it's a predictable mismatch every year, so plan ahead
Studiedagen (Dutch training days)
~5–8 per yearDutch KDV follows the local school board's studiedagen schedule (teacher training days, usually spread throughout the year). International schools don't have these — so your toddler is home for the day while your older child is at school. Studiedagen are announced at the start of the academic year, so you know them in advance.
- Mark all studiedagen on your calendar in September when they're published
- Treat them as remote-work days — most employers are used to parents needing flexibility for studiedagen
- Swap coverage with another family: you cover their studiedag, they cover yours
- If you have consistent Friday studiedagen, hire a regular Friday babysitter to cover the pattern
Where to find the calendars
These are published in June/July for the upcoming academic year — download both, print them side by side, and mark the mismatches immediately.
- Teddy Kids annual calendar — published on our website and emailed to families in June
- TISA school calendar — available on the TISA website (tisaschool.nl) under 'Calendar' or 'Parent Portal'
- ISL (International School Leiden) calendar — check the school's parent portal or published term dates
- Dutch school holidays (regional) — see rijksoverheid.nl for the national framework
- Leiden regional studiedagen — published by the local scholenorganisatie, usually in June/July
- Dutch public holidays (feestdagen) — see rijksoverheid.nl for the official list
About this guide
This guide is for general information and reflects the typical calendar differences between Dutch KDV/BSO and international schools (using TISA's IB calendar as a proxy) as of mid-2026. Exact dates, regional studiedagen schedules, and summer closure lengths vary by provider and school, so always confirm with your own daycare and school calendars published at the start of the academic year. Teddy Kids is a daycare provider in Leiden, and this guide reflects our understanding of the local calendar landscape, but we cannot guarantee overlap or closure dates for other providers or schools.
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