Day care organizations need to take more steps to protect children and employees on hot days, according to an urgent call from the GGDs, the Dutch public health services that oversee day care facilities.

Although day care locations are legally required to maintain a heat protocol, the GGDs say these protocols are often too general in practice. They are also often not sufficiently tailored to specific sites.

Josine van den Boogaard, a policy adviser at GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, said the sector largely meets the legal requirement. However, that is no longer enough as hot days become more frequent. “We see that daycare organizations often have one general heat protocol for all their locations, while every building is different,” Van den Boogaard told RTL.

“It is important that a daycare has its own heat protocol per location. And sometimes even per room, because the conditions within one building can differ greatly,” Van den Boogaard added.

Young children are especially vulnerable to high temperatures, said researcher Eline van de Kamp from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Staff therefore need to watch for signs such as listlessness, slower responses, or a faster heartbeat. “With such complaints, a child must immediately be taken out of the heat, cooled down, and given enough fluids,” she told RTL.

The GGD sees no value in setting a single national maximum temperature for day care centers because conditions vary too widely. “Temperature is important, but one maximum indoor temperature is not the solution. You have to look at the total indoor climate and the measures a location takes to keep children safe,” Van den Boogaard said.

Approaches must be customized, she added. “Air humidity plays an important role in the health risks. But also the age of the children and how many layers of clothing a child is wearing.”