Walloon town charges €100 per hour for parents who pick kids up late

Parents arriving at "garderie" (after-school care) late to get their child at one of the nine nursery or primary schools in the Walloon commune of Dison, Liège province, now risk a hefty fine, according to new rules.

Late parents will be charged €25 for every quarter an hour past 17.30, when the service finishes - which equates to €100 per hour.

The local authority has had enough of parents systematically picking up their children after hours, even if 17.30 is relatively early for a garderie service – often available until 18.00 and in Brussels sometimes 18.30.

Since the start of the 2024-2025 year, incidences of late arrivals at Dison garderies have been more and more common, said Stéphanie Willot, Dison’s alderwoman for early childhood, youth and sport.

“We’ve recently had several cases where parents have turned up at 18.00 or 18.15 with no valid excuse. We couldn’t accept that. After-school care lasts until 17.30.”

To support its nursery staff, the municipality has revised the regulations. Instead of a blanket €10 for late arrivals, parents will be charged €25 per quarter an hour late, Willot explained.

This financial penalty might sound excessive, but Willot hopes the rate will not be used, but act as a deterrent.

“There are always exceptions. You can make a phone call and say ‘there’s been an accident on the road, I'll be late’, in which case we don’t apply this rate, but those who exaggerate, well that’s enough,” she said, noting that shops close at set times and there is no reason why garderies should be any different.

“It’s a question of respect for the staff too,” she said. “There are often employees who travel by bus. A quarter of an hour sometimes puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to getting home.

"They are told to wait for the children’s parents and if there is no news after 15 or 20 minutes, to call the police. It’s not pleasant for the staff and it’s not pleasant for the child either and we have already had to do it."