564 more creche places in Brussels next year

More than 500 extra places will be made available in French-speaking creches in the Brussels region next year, authorities have announced.

Fadila Laanan, president of the French-speaking Community Commission in Brussels (Cocof) said 564 additional places would be funded in 2018 - bringing the total number of new creche places since 2014 to more than 1,200. The target is to increase capacity by 2,000 by 2020.

The announcement follows a similar move by the Flemish Community Commission in Brussels, which is spending €3 million on creating extra childcare facilities.

Two new Dutch-speaking creches are being built - one in Ixelles and one in Saint-Josse – as well as the extension of an existing facility in Schaerbeek.