Finding the best solution for child day-care in Paris

Municipal childcare facilities

Holiday reception in childcare facilities

During the festive season, from Monday December 30, 2024 to Friday January 3, 2025 included, children attending a collective creche, a family creche and certain centers run by the City of Paris can be accommodated in one of the available establishments in each arrondissement.

Enroll your child in a cluster crèche this winter open on Monday, October 28, 2024: //regroupement.paris.fr/

You have until the evening of Wednesday November 13 to register your child. There is no cooling-off period: as of November 14, all applications are final.

Childcare facilities will be closed from December 23 to 27, 2024.

The person in charge of your child's childcare facility is available to answer any questions you may have concerning this reservation and your child's care during the winter.

The terms and conditions for using the booking platform can be viewed and downloaded here.

New reception packages at the start of the 2024 school year

From Monday, September 2, 2024, contracts will change: children attending a collective creche, a family creche or a drop-in daycare center, will be cared for on the basis of packages established according to their actual daily care time.

Find out more about the new packages

Municipal creches

These are the City of Paris' collective childcare facilities.

General operation of creches

Care is provided by early childhood professionals: nursery nurses, early childhood educators, nursery nurses, childcare assistants, early childhood care staff and technical staff.

Multi-purpose centers cater for children aged between 2 and a half months and 3 years. These collective creches are financed by the Paris local authority and subsidized by the CAF. They are approved and monitored by the PMI (Protection Maternelle et Infantile). They offer full-time or part-time collective care.

Each municipal day-care center has its own set of operating rules (common to the whole arrondissement). The day-care centers offer several types of care to meet families' needs.

>> Consult the operating rules

Parents' councils are local schemes set up by arrondissement councils. They enable volunteer parents to represent all day-care center families, with a view to participating in projects concerning the life of the day-care centers. Councils are consultative bodies that also include representatives of the borough councils and early childhood professionals. Their purpose is to provide a forum for dialogue between parents, professionals and the borough council, to strengthen links between parents and to encourage the emergence of projects of collective interest.

Consult the flyer " être représentant des parents " 2024

Childcare establishments offer several types of care to meet the needs of families. Children can be cared for on a regular or occasional basis, in emergency or exceptional situations.

A child is cared for on a regular basis when he or she is expected to be present at the same time every week or every other week. It can be :
- full-time (every day of the week for the whole day) ;
- or part-time (on certain days or half-days, defined in advance).

When a child is cared for on a regular basis, a contract is signed with the family: the child is cared for at the times specified in the contract.

Occasional care is when the family's needs are known in advance, are one-off and do not recur. The child is already known to the establishment and is registered there. Occasional care meets families' irregular or one-off needs, depending on the number of places available. Children are cared for for a limited period, which is not renewed identically from one week to the next. Occasional childcare can also be used to replace the absence of one or more children, subject to a pre-notification period agreed with the facility manager. It is limited to a period of 3 months (one month, renewable twice) from the first day of care, and can be renewed as needed, or transformed into regular care via the registration and allocation circuit of common law (if necessary via the commission for the allocation of places).

Depending on their needs, families can "combine" regular and occasional childcare.

Example: if a family whose child is cared for every afternoon needs to entrust their child to the facility for additional periods of time (e.g.: two extra mornings for two weeks), they can make a request to the manager, who will examine the availability of care within the facility. Families can also request changes to their childcare contract, particularly when their situation changes (return to work, drop in income, etc.): the child's attendance time can then be revised upwards or downwards. Any modification to the contract is subject to the agreement of the facility manager.

The manager may also propose a modification of the contract to the family, depending on the child's actual attendance. In the event of an increase in the child's attendance time, the commission for the allocation of places may be asked to rule on the request, to ensure fairness between Parisians.

Please note: specific childcare options are available if you are receiving RSA benefits and your child needs to be cared for as part of your integration project. Ask your RSA advisor for details.

Find out more about nursery and day-care center packages

This scheme is open only to municipal day-care centers that operate under public management. It ensures continuity of care during two school vacation periods a year, when few children attend the facilities. It is organized during the Christmas vacations and for four weeks in summer, from mid to late July and mid to late August.

During these periods, one or more group childcare facilities in the same arrondissement remain open and, subject to reservation, take in children from other facilities in the arrondissement that are then closed.

Reservation dates for group places are communicated to families at the start of the school year in September, and a reminder is sent out before reservations open.

When you are admitted to a Paris day-care center, the person in charge will give you a document explaining the scheme, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

All municipal facilities are closed for the first three weeks of August and one week during the winter vacations.

In exceptional cases, however, children from families expressing a pressing need may be admitted to a day-care center, subject to criteria and supporting documents, and depending on the capacity of the district.

Families are informed of closing dates at the start of the school year in September.

Food in day nurseries

Since 2017, when over 50% of the food served in crèches was already sustainable, the City has been striving to achieve its goal of 100% organically and sustainably produced food by the end of 2024. This includes serving a balanced vegetarian meal, without meat or fish, twice a week.

Since 2019, the City of Paris has been supplying 100% organic milk to its crèches. This exceptional step towards organic food remains the only one of its kind in France.

>> Find out more about sustainable food in crèches
>> What does my child eat at crèche?

For the fifth consecutive year, in 2024, municipal establishments were awarded the "Ecocert en cuisine" label for the environmental quality of the meals prepared every day in the facilities. This label applies both to the proportion of organic produce served daily on children's plates and to the sustainable development actions implemented.

The Ecocert label's 3-carrot level of excellence rewards the quality of meals prepared in municipal crèches, based on four criteria:
- organic: diversifying organic products towards agriculture that preserves the environment and biodiversity.
- local: favoring short and fair supply chains.
- healthy: respecting nutritional balance by limiting processed products and developing dietary diversity, including vegetarian menus.
- sustainable: raising ecological awareness, limiting food waste, the use of toxic substances and the impact of catering on the environment.

In Paris's municipal day nurseries, the food is prepared on site by trained staff in strictly controlled premises, guaranteeing the quality and safety of the preparations, and enabling precise control of the quality of the raw materials used.

Each crèche has its own kitchen and premises dedicated to bottle preparation. In all, nearly 15,000 meals and as many snacks are prepared and served every day.

The services offered must be in line with current scientific knowledge and the latest medical recommendations. Even after well-established dietary diversification, many dietary constraints remain, and very specific nutritional objectives need to be taken into account, particularly between the ages of 0 and 3.

The meals served to children in our establishments are the result of a continuous process, from the purchasing of raw materials to the preparation of meals on site and their presentation to the children. For each meal, our professionals strive to :
- ensure the highest standards of quality, safety and hygiene ;
- meet children's age-specific nutritional needs, and limit certain foods (proteins, salt, sugar, etc.);
- offer attractive, varied and fast food, in conditions that are convivial and structuring for the child, to contribute to his or her nutritional education. A vegetarian meal (without meat or fish) is served twice a week. Its nutritional contribution is balanced by other food groups, finely alternated or combined: eggs and/or dairy products, legumes, quinoa, cereals, vegetables, etc.

These priorities are complemented by other objectives, in particular taking into account food allergies, with the implementation of adapted individual diets, within the framework of Individualized Welcome Projects (PAI).

Food diversification is based on the recommendations of the French National Nutrition and Health Program (PNNS 2004). Some of the PNNS food introduction guidelines have been adapted to the context of the day-care center: an internal medical circular defines the introduction guidelines for day-care centers.

At the same time, several expert committees agree in recommending diversification within an optimal tolerance window of between 4 and 6 months (particularly for the introduction of gluten), including for children with allergic conditions. These recommendations are intended for families, and should be adapted to the specific needs of each child.

This is why, in day nurseries, given the heterogeneity of situations encountered in the context of a community, instructions remain measured: as a precautionary measure, progressiveness is essential.

Recommendations made in national and international programs to promote breastfeeding are followed in early childhood establishments.

In order to prevent early weaning due to the end of parental leave, young Parisian mothers wishing to continue breastfeeding their infants after starting daycare are accompanied by professionals to help them with their plans.

Parents are informed about the option to continue breastfeeding after their child starts at the crèche during enrollment and later by the facility manager.

>> Breastfeeding at the crèche

Early-learning in creches

Our dedicated professionals collaborate on educational and pedagogical projects that enhance children's well-being and socialization. We consistently focus on their development, providing a variety of early-learning activities designed to foster language, motor skills, and imagination. These activities address the essential needs of toddlers, ensuring their successful growth.

Numerous innovative projects, for which parents are kept informed throughout the year, are implemented, focusing on art and culture, gender equality, language acquisition and sustainable development.

With the "L'Art pour grandir" scheme, children and artists meet for performances to awaken their interest in art. This project aims to encourage access to and participation in cultural activities for all children. The artistic awakening of under-threes is developed in their own environment. Access to culture for all, from the earliest age, is a major objective of the City of Paris' cultural and educational policy.

The early childhood establishments staffed by the City of Paris promote children's motor development by adhering to the principles of free movement.

Self-confidence and knowledge of one's potential are essential to growing up and becoming a fulfilled adult. Motor skills, emotional expression and management, and psychological and cognitive development are closely linked. Thanks to freedom of movement, children discover their own bodies, what they are capable of, how far they can go and where they should stop, under the benevolent and encouraging gaze of adults.

Free motor skills enable children to experiment with the movements needed to move from one stage to the next. That's why it's important to trust your child and respect his or her own progress, letting him or her acquire the different postures that will lead to walking.

The petit guide de la motricité (motor skills guide) aims to introduce parents to the stages of motor development in young children.

Environmental quality in municipal crèches

New toys and games (educational, imitation and motor skills) are now mainly made of fabric, wood or cardboard. Their educational dimension remains at the heart of the selection criteria, as does their durability. Most toys and games are washable.

Plastic-free crockery and cooking utensils made of stainless steel, glass or arcopal have been introduced into the nurseries. All baby bottles are made of glass.

All cleaning and maintenance products carry the Ecodétergence-Ecocert label (no impact on the environment).

The diapers we use offer the best results in terms of safety for children's skin. Diapers are double eco-labeled.

- CO2 sensors are deployed in all facilities to encourage regular ventilation of spaces and ensure indoor air quality throughout the day.

- The use of more natural materials for floors, walls and ceilings, containing fewer chemical substances, generous ventilation and the acquisition of wooden furniture all help to guarantee a healthier environment.

- Daily cleaning of surfaces by external contractors is carried out using Ecodétergence-labeled products.

Municipal family creches

This type of care combines collective and individual care.

Municipal family daycare centers provide full- or part-time care for children aged 2.5 months to 3 years. The 33 crèches in Paris combine individual and group care.

Nursery assistants welcome a maximum of three children per day in their own homes. Twice a week, the childminder and the children take part in group activities at the family day nursery. These educational workshops enable the children to gradually familiarize themselves with the community, socialize and discover a variety of activities conducive to their stimulation and development, in specially adapted premises, in the presence of an early childhood educator. Complementary activities can be offered in local facilities or with partners (library, toy library, gym, gardening, etc.).

Nursery assistants are accredited by the Mother and Child Protection Service (PMI). The crèche's multi-disciplinary team supervises and supports the childminders during group sessions, as well as through regular home visits, providing them with training, professionalization and support in their professional practices.

Municipal day-care centers

Consult the list of daycare centers near you

Educational kindergartens

Educational kindergartens welcome children aged 2 and a half to 6 in groups of 20, supervised by an early childhood educator. The mission of these structures is to foster the development of each child and to ensure that they learn the skills required in kindergarten, in line with the French national education system's programs, and thus prepare them for entry into elementary school. Professional staff create a secure environment conducive to experimentation, knowledge, openness to the world, discovery of the written word and language enrichment.

Current rates (excluding catering) :

TRANCHE	QUOTIENT IN €	MONTHLY FEE IN €
1	< 234	2,62
2	< 384	8,06
3	< 548	16,84
4	< 959	25,92
5	< 1370	34,56
6	< 1900	43,69
7	< 2500	52,67
8	< 3333	62,28
9	< 5000	89,32
10	> or = 5000	149,90

TRANCHE

1

QUOTIENT IN €: < 234
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 2,62

2

QUOTIENT IN €: < 384
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 8,06

3

QUOTIENT IN €: < 548
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 16,84

4

QUOTIENT IN €: < 959
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 25,92

5

QUOTIENT IN €: < 1370
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 34,56

6

QUOTIENT IN €: < 1900
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 43,69

7

QUOTIENT IN €: < 2500
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 52,67

8

QUOTIENT IN €: < 3333
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 62,28

9

QUOTIENT IN €: < 5000
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 89,32

10

QUOTIENT IN €: > or = 5000
MONTHLY FEE IN €: 149,90

Private and community childcare facilities

Community creches

Associative creches are collective childcare establishments run by associations.

Associative family creches

Managed by an association, this type of care can combine collective and individual care.

The creche and family day-care center employ licensed childminders who welcome between one and four children into their homes. They are supervised and monitored by a team that complies with the French Public Health Code.

Nursery assistants and children take part in meetings and educational activities supervised by an early childhood educator on the premises of the creche or family multi-purpose center.

Consult the list of creches and family day-care centres near you

Parental creches

Consult the list of creches near you

Private and company creches

There are other collective childcare structures with their own operating procedures: privately managed or associative crèches, for private individuals and/or company employees.

Company creches

Some creches, run by companies or associations, cater for the children of company employees: either employees of a single company, or employees of different companies. In general, access to a place requires the agreement (and a financial contribution) of the employer of one of the two parents. The city council may also reserve places for local residents (the City of Paris sometimes reserves places in these establishments, the allocation of which is then decided by a commission, as is the case for places in municipal creches).

Private nurseries

Other private creches cater for out-of-school children according to their own criteria. In all cases, children are cared for by qualified staff (nursery nurses, childcare assistants, etc.). These crèches are subject to the same regulations, standards and approvals as other crèches as regards staff and premises.

Discover Paris's childcare offer and find the childcare option that's right for you: specific features of each type of childcare, cost, application forms… Paris offers 40,800 crèche places and over 5,000 places in the homes of childcare assistants, a varied, high-quality offer for collective or individual childcare.

Finding the best solution for child day-care in Paris

Content

Municipal childcare facilities

Municipal creches

General operation of creches

Food in day nurseries

Early-learning in creches

Environmental quality in municipal crèches

Municipal family creches

Municipal day-care centers

Educational kindergartens

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Private and community childcare facilities

Community creches

Associative family creches

Parental creches

Private and company creches

Company creches

Private nurseries

Find a childcare facility

Contact (RIF)

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18th district

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Finding the best solution for child day-care in Paris

Content

Municipal childcare facilities

Municipal creches

General operation of creches

Municipal childcare facility essentials

Opening hours

How to register

Tarifs

Parent representatives in municipal schools

Visits

Summer and holiday grouping arrangements

Annual closures

Food in day nurseries

100% organic and sustainable food

Écocert en cuisine" certified establishments

Feeding Parisian children aged 0 to 6 every day

Feeding children in day-care centres

Breast-feeding

Early-learning in creches

Early-learning projects in municipal creches

Using art as a learning tool

Motor skills development based on free-motor principles

Environmental quality in municipal crèches

Ensuring a healthy environment for children

New items and materials that respect toddlers health

Guaranteeing indoor air quality

Municipal family creches

Municipal day-care centers

How they work

Opening hours

Age

How to register

Tarifs

Terms and conditions

Educational kindergartens

How it works

Opening hours

How to register

Recipes

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Terms and conditions

Private and community childcare facilities

Community creches

How they work

Opening hours

Age

How to register

Associative family creches

How they work

Opening hours

Age

How to register

Recipes

Terms and conditions

Parental creches

How it works

Opening hours

How to register

Recipes

Terms and conditions

Private and company creches

Company creches

Private nurseries

How it works

Opening hours

Age

How to register

Tarifs

Find a childcare facility

Contact (RIF)