Any parent:

• whether Luxembourgish or not;
• whether resident or not;
• of a child aged 12 years and under.

However, some facilities only accept children who:

• reside in the commune; or
• go to school in that commune.

Children aged 4 before 1 September who are subject to compulsory schooling and enroled in a primary school or equivalent, are entitled to free childcare during school weeks, from Monday to Friday between 7.00 and 19.00, except where this time span is exceeded and subsequently charged by the education and childcare facility.

For childcare taking place before 7.00 and after 19.00, and during the holidays, the parents' financial contribution falls under the childcare service voucher (CSA) scheme.

The parental contribution to childcare costs is determined on the basis of several factors (the care facility, the parents' situation, household income and the child's position in the sibling order).

Different childcare facilities

Crèches and mini-crèches;

Crèches and mini-crèches are intended to provide childcare and educational services without accommodation:

• for children not in formal schooling aged up to 4 years; or
• for school-aged children.

Mini-crèches can only accommodate a maximum of:

• 11 children at any given time;
• 4 children under the age of one.

Daycare centres

Daycare centres for children provide care and educational support without accommodation for children attending early education, pre-school education or primary education in professional facilities:

• outside of class hours;
• during school holidays.

Day nurseries

Day nurseries offer spontaneous, professional, non-residential childcare and supervision for children under 8 years of age. Children are received for no more than 16 hours per week per child.

Drop-in centres (maison relais)

Drop-in centres provide non-residential socio-educational care for children and young people under 18 years of age.

The drop-in centre system is a commune-level service which provides care for children and young people outside of school hours. It is intended for:

• families who live in the commune; or
• children attending school in this commune.

The drop-in centre service is not available in all communes. Depending on the commune, the services offered vary in terms of both opening hours and the activities organised.

The aim is nevertheless to achieve a comprehensive offer in all communes between 7.00 and 19.00 and which must include the following services:

• the opening hours of the service and the reception of pupils will in principle be offered outside of school hours;
• provision of meals, specifically lunch and snacks;
• supervision, entertainment and activities;
• support with homework.

Drop-in centres for children can also offer socio-educational support, childcare for sick children, socio-educational activities, parenting courses etc.

With regard to children with special needs attending primary school, a medical certificate presented by the parents to the head of the drop-in centre serves as supporting documentation for the MEN in order to:

• grant any additional hours of supervision and care which may be required;
• meet the specific care requirements for the child.

Childminders ('Dageselteren').

Childminding (French, Excel, 108 Kb) consists of regular and paid care during day or night of children aged 0 to 12 or who have not left primary school or differentiated education.

This care solution offers flexibility for parents who work irregular hours.

The continued care of a child during day and night must not exceed 3 weeks. A childminder may only care for a maximum of:

• 5 children at a time;
• 2 children under the age of 2. Their own children under the age of 2 are taken into account in this calculation.

Childminding consists of the following activities, depending on the age of the child:

• childcare, generally outside school hours, according to a schedule defined by the parties;
• provision of meals, including main meals and snacks in between meals;
• supervision, entertainment and activities of a socio-educational nature;
• help with homework;
• care and supervision in the event of illness;
• supervision during naps and whilst sleeping.

The Agence Dageselteren:

• is approved by the MEN;
• provides training, information and guidance services for childminders, parents and social institutions.

A telephone hotline is available every morning from 8.00 to 12.00 on (+352) 26 20 27 94 1 to provide information on:

• the conditions to be met by childminders;
• the conditions to be met by the parents;
• the various procedures to follow when looking for a parental assistant;
• the childminding contract;
• the Childcare Service Voucher system (Chèque Service Acceuil - CSA);
• the adaptation phase, etc.

Registration

In most cases, children can be enrolled directly with the establishment.

As a rule, childcare is covered by a contract between the childcare facility and the child's parents.

Priority may be given according to criteria which are specific to each childcare structure:

• to children from single-parent families; or
• to children from low-income families; or
• to children with special needs.

Multilingual education

All crèches and other childcare providers in the Childcare Service Voucher scheme benefit from the multilingual education programme, which familiarises children aged 1 to 4 with Luxembourgish and French.

These 2 languages will be taught:

• in a playful manner, adapted to the age and needs of the toddler;
• by qualified and specially trained educational staff, stimulating the potential of young children without coercing them.

Procedures

Links