in hungary the daycare is a state financed service, it is free. there are private services for the rich and famous but only the food is different lol. mothers also get to stay home for 2 years (no typo) after the kid's born.
belgium is indeed mad though. we have friends in liége, the wife is hungarian, we visited them this summer. she told us that kids go to school even when they're sick, a running nose, a flu or a cold with a slight fever wouldn't stop them, because grandparents are either dead or live too far away, and a babysitter would be way too expensive. they can afford new bmw's and merc's but no babysitting.