Bas & Linda(36)

Bas received an offer as team lead at a tech company in Ghent's Canal Zone. We hesitated for a long time — moving with children aged 4 and 7 is no small thing. But when we visited Ghent, we fell for the city: the canals, the car-free city center, the green spaces. It felt like a city built for families.

The first challenge was education. In Flanders you enroll children through the city's Registration System. Our oldest went to a municipal primary school in Sint-Amandsberg, the youngest to kindergarten at the same school. Education is free — no parental contribution like in the Netherlands — and quality is high. Classes are smaller and there's more focus on languages.

The Groeipakket (the Flemish version of child benefit) was a pleasant surprise. You receive a base amount of about €170 per child per month, plus a school allowance if your income falls below a certain threshold. The application goes through a payment actor like Fons or KidsLife — we chose Fons and it was arranged within two weeks.

Integration went faster than expected. The school organizes parent coffee mornings and there's an active parent committee. Linda made friends through the school gate — both Flemish and international mothers. The children were speaking fluent Flemish within a few months, including the typical soft g. They adapt faster than adults.

What struck us is how child-friendly Ghent is. The Blaarmeersen recreation area, the Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen for walks, the City Farm — there's always something to do. The city invests enormously in playgrounds and traffic safety. We let our children play outside here with peace of mind, something that felt harder in Eindhoven.

Practical tip for families: arrange your mutualiteit (we chose Solidaris) immediately after registering at the municipality, because children need it for school trips and sports clubs. And check whether you qualify for Flemish social allowances — they're often more generous than the Dutch allowances you leave behind.