France’s childcare options make it the envy of many other countries, and it even awards medals to parents who have successfully raised four or more children.
It is not unusual for women who have had babies to be back at work, with baby in a state-subsidised crèche, just four months after giving birth.
The crèches can take babies from two-and-a-half months to three years old.
But for this to happen there have to be crèches available (they are mostly found in cities and towns), and for there to be places free.
Rural parents usually have to find private crèches, but can still get some help towards costs.
Planning for securing a place in the crèche can be a long-term project – rumours abound in Paris about the best strategy.
There are even stories of regular visits beforehand, with good bottles of wine for staff to help assure a spot in the cradle.
Read more: Why France is a great place to bring up children
How to get a crèche place in France
The official procedure is outlined on the Paris.fr website (similar procedures are found in other cities), and involve the parent(s) asking for a place from the sixth month of pregnancy, at the crèche in the arrondissement where they live.
Places are officially open for all children, regardless of the employment status of parents, including children of students, those taking part in training courses, or parents who are unemployed and registered with Pôle emploi.
Also noted in the conditions are children whose parents have physical disabilities, chronic illness or who are on long-term sick leave, those on maternity leave and those from families experiencing difficulties.
What paperwork do I need for a crèche place?
Required paperwork includes copies of the livret de famille, the child’s birth certificate or adoption papers, a document establishing legal responsibility for the child (usually an ID card but sometimes a court judgement), and a copy of either the parent’s last tax statement avis d’imposition, or a statement of resources from the Caisse d’allocations familiales (CAF).
Read more: Will I get a 'livret de famille' after moving to France?
Admission to the crèche is decided by a commission of the mairie of the arrondissement, depending on the places available.
Officially, criteria for decisions include conciliation with the work life of parents, helping people return to work and to guarantee a social mix of children admitted.
Once you have notification of a place for the child, you have ten days to set up a meeting with staff at the crèche, with paperwork in hand.
This will be followed by a visit with your child to your doctor for an examination. A medical certificate will vouch they are able to take a crèche place. It will be reviewed by another doctor assigned to the crèche.
How much is a crèche in France?
Prices of places are fixed by the CAF and depend on parents’ income and the number of children, plus a contribution which can vary from 0.00619 of a monthly salary or other resources for one-child families, to 0.00206 for families of eight or more children.
Officially this is the same all over France.
Getting exact figures is difficult, but some specialist websites say parents with incomes of €3,000 a month should pay around €335 a month for a child in a crèche for nine hours a day, five days a week.
The CAF also plays a key role in the allocation of child support payments, which in France kick in with a second child, and last until the child is 20.
There are three levels of parental annual income to determine the amount, with the lowest for two children being up to €74,996, the second up to €99,922 and the third over €99,922.
For two children the allocations familiales in 2024 were €148.52 a month revenue for the lowest level, up to €338.30 for three children, with an extra €190.29 for each child after that.
Once the child reaches 14 an extra €74.26 is given each month.
Read more: Nine ways a French job centre can help jobseekers - and employers
One-off payments for school in France
Parents of school-age children can, depending on resources, also receive one-off payments before the school year so they can kit out their children with pens, exercise books, glue, erasers, satchels and other requirements.
The family’s revenue net catégoriel, calculated by CAF two years earlier, is used as a reference and the upper limit is €27,141 for 2024 for one child, up to €39,667 for three children, plus €6,263 for each child after that.
Called Allocation de rentrée scolaire (ARS), the payment depends on the age of the child, and varies from €416.40 for six- to 10-year-olds to €454.59 for 15- to 18-year-olds.
Read more: French benefit explainer: ‘Allocation de rentrée scolaire’
Parents and grandparents, both in the municipal crèche system and outside of it, are also able to claim back income tax on childminding outside the house for children under six years old, as long as it is with a registered childminder (assistante maternelle agréée), or in a registered centre such as a crèche, halte-garderie, halte scolaire (for looking after children after school) or a leisure centre.
There is a separate crédit d’impot if you employ someone to care for a child at home, which can be as much as half the salary of the person employed.
If you pay through the Cheque emploi service universal (usually called Cesu) or through Pajemploi, the boxes to claim the credit are pre-filled on tax declarations.
Tax credits and medals for some parents
Pajemploi is an online payment system run by Urssaf which registers parent employers, calculates and deducts the amounts due for social security contributions, prepares and, if necessary, sends out payslips to the childminder, and gives a formal attestation fiscale of the amounts paid if the tax authorities ask for one.
Another tax benefit, a reduction d’impot sur le revenu, is given to parents with children in secondary or higher education establishments if they are still living under your roof, and varies from €61 for children in collège (junior high school) to €183 for children in university or similar level.
Finally, if you have raised four children with French nationality to the age of 16, you can apply to the state to be awarded an official medal.
Called the médaille de l’énfance et des familles, it is bronze and hangs on a striking red and green ribbon.
Purely honorific, it nethertheless shows that the state appreciates your efforts, even if the ungrateful little so-and-sos may not…
