Two Calendars: Dutch vs. International Schools
For families with one child at Teddy KDV and one at TISA or ISL — compare closure calendars, school holidays and studiedagen before planning.
A toddler at Teddy Kids and an older sibling at TISA or another international school can have different opening and holiday calendars. Childcare opening days are separate from school holidays and studiedagen (school training days). Check each published calendar before assuming a child will be home. This guide helps you compare them and plan care if one child is off and the other is not.
Last updated: 14 October 2026
The calendar mismatch that nobody warns you about
If you have one child at Teddy Kids or another KDV/BSO and another at TISA, ISL or a different school, compare their actual calendars. A childcare opening calendar does not automatically follow school holidays or studiedagen. Dutch and international schools publish their own holiday and training-day dates; check the provider's separate closure calendar and BSO holiday arrangements.
Public holidays such as Koningsdag, Hemelvaart and Christmas can affect school and childcare openings, but confirm closures in each calendar. Bevrijdingsdag (5 May) is an official holiday every year; Sinterklaasavond (5 December) is not. If the calendars differ, mark the days when you need extra care before booking leave or travel.
The two calendar systems, side by side
Childcare and school calendars answer different questions: when care is available, and when school is open. Compare the published dates, including each school's training days and the provider's BSO holiday and study-day arrangements. A school holiday does not itself mean KDV is closed.
Dutch KDV/BSO calendar
- Studiedagen: check the school's dates and the provider's BSO arrangements; KDV does not automatically close
- Herfstvakantie: a school break; check childcare opening days and how BSO holiday care is booked
- Kerstvakantie: check provider closure days around Christmas and New Year separately from the school break
- Voorjaarsvakantie: check your school's dates and the provider's BSO holiday arrangements
- Meivakantie: compare school dates with childcare opening days, including 27 April and 5 May
- Summer: ask your Teddy Kids location for its current annual closure calendar; school summer holidays do not set KDV closure dates
International school calendar (TISA, ISL or your school)
- Fall break: check your school's published autumn dates and compare with other school and childcare calendars
- Winter break: confirm school dates around Christmas and New Year and compare with childcare closures
- Spring break: check the school's dates; they may differ from another school's voorjaarsvakantie
- May break: use the current TISA, ISL or other school calendar to check whether a break is scheduled
- Summer holiday: verify the start and end dates in each school's published calendar
- Professional-development days: international schools set their own training and closure days; check the published calendar
Use current published calendars and check for updates. Ask your childcare location about its opening days, booking requirements and BSO holiday or study-day care.
The national holidays that affect both (and the ones that don't)
An official public holiday does not by itself tell you whether a school or childcare provider is closed. Check each calendar. For employees, time off depends on their contract or CAO (collective labour agreement). Sinterklaasavond is a cultural celebration rather than an official public holiday.
Koningsdag (King's Day, April 27)
An official public holiday with orange street parties, flea markets and boat parades. Check your school and childcare calendars for closure; compare the date with each school's May break rather than assuming they match.
Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day, May 5)
Bevrijdingsdag (5 May) marks liberation at the end of the Second World War and is an official Dutch holiday every year. Whether an employee has the day off depends on their contract or CAO. School and childcare closures depend on their own published calendars, so check each one.
Hemelvaart (Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter)
An official public holiday, always on a Thursday. Check whether your school or childcare provider closes that day and whether the following Friday is also listed as a bridge-day closure.
Pinksteren (Pentecost, 50 days after Easter)
Tweede Pinksterdag (Pentecost Monday) is an official public holiday; check each school and childcare calendar for closure. Eerste Pinksterdag falls on a Sunday.
Sinterklaasavond (December 5)
Sinterklaasavond is not an official public holiday. Families often celebrate with gifts and poems in the evening. Check your school and childcare calendar for any adjusted daytime hours, and plan around your family's evening commitments.
Kerstvakantie (Christmas break)
Eerste Kerstdag (25 December) and Tweede Kerstdag (26 December) are official public holidays. Check the provider's closure dates separately from each school's Christmas break; start and end dates and childcare opening days can differ.
Planning strategies for non-overlapping days
If one child is off and the other is not, start by checking which days need extra care. These practical options can help when your school and childcare calendars differ.
Where to check for overlap
- Christmas: compare each school's break with the childcare provider's closure dates before booking leave
- Summer: mark actual school holidays and childcare closures; do not assume both are off in August
- Public holidays: confirm any shared closure in both published calendars
Tactics that work
- Put the current calendars side by side and mark any non-overlapping closure days
- 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
- If calendars differ, trade care with another family — you cover one of their closure days, they cover one of yours
- Arrange a babysitter or nanny for days when the calendars leave you needing extra care
- Ask grandparents or family to visit during weeks when you know you need extra care
The mismatch hot spots (and how to handle them)
These three calendar windows are useful to compare. If the dates differ, mark each day when a child will need care.
Fall break mismatch
OctoberCompare your school's autumn break with any other school's herfstvakantie and the childcare opening calendar. If school is closed while daycare is open, you may need care only for the older child. If both are closed on a day, plan for both children.
- Mark shared and separate closure days, then book leave for the days when you need care
- If closure dates differ, choose which days are hardest to cover and arrange leave or remote work for those
- Alternatively, treat it as a "one parent, one child" week — one parent works, the other covers the child at home
Spring break mismatch
Check the datesSpring break and voorjaarsvakantie can have different dates. Compare each school's published dates with childcare opening days and BSO holiday care. If calendars differ, mark the days when extra care is needed rather than assuming two full weeks at home.
- If school holidays fall in separate weeks, check which days actually need extra care
- Book vacation for one break and negotiate remote work or split-parenting for the other
- Check any overlap between school holidays before planning a family trip
- If helpful, ask relatives to visit during a week when you need additional care
Studiedagen (Dutch training days)
Check each calendarDutch and international schools set their own training days. KDV does not automatically close on a school's studiedag; check the childcare calendar and BSO arrangements. Teddy Kids' programmes page lists BSO care on study days. Confirm availability, hours and booking with your location.
- Mark each school's training days when its calendar is published and check for later updates
- Check BSO study-day care first, then discuss leave or remote work if you still need cover
- 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
Use each school's and provider's current published calendar and check for updates. Put them side by side and mark any days when you will need extra care.
- Teddy Kids — ask your location for its current annual closure calendar and BSO holiday/study-day arrangements
- TISA school calendar — use the current published 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
- Your school's studiedagen — check its own published calendar and ask your BSO about care
- Dutch public holidays (feestdagen) — see rijksoverheid.nl for the official list
About this guide
This guide is for general information. School holidays, training days and childcare opening days are set out in separate calendars and can change. Use each school's and provider's current published dates, and confirm holiday and study-day care with your childcare location before making plans.