Childminding (parental assistance - assistance parentale) consists of regular and paid care during day or night of children:

• aged 0 to 12; or
• who are still in basic or differentiated education.

This activity is deemed to be a provision of services that you provide from your home under self-employed status.

The maximum number of children you can care for simultaneously in the context of your childminding activity is limited to 5. If there are several childminders working in the same home, the 5-child limit still applies. You may not accommodate more than 2 children under the age of 2. Any children of your own under the age of 2 are taken into account in this calculation.

The rights and obligations of the parties must be set out in an education and care services contract. The total number of children who may be the subject of one or more education and care services contracts is limited to 12 per childminder.

Childminders who wish to sign up for the childcare service voucher scheme (chèque-service accueil - CSA) must apply for recognition as a Childcare Service Voucher provider with the Education and Care Department (Service d’Education et d’Accueil) at the Ministry for Education, Children and Youth.

As a Childcare Service Voucher service provider, you are responsible for implementing the public service mission with the objective to strengthen social cohesion by offering equal opportunities to all children.

Who is concerned

Anyone who is interested in looking after children in their home.

Prerequisites

Accreditation

To obtain accreditation as a childminder, you must meet the following conditions:

• meet the conditions of good repute, which are assessed on the basis of your criminal record (you must provide original extracts from the criminal records no. 3 and no. 5, relating to the protection of minors);

• be over 18 years of age;
• provide a medical certificate issued by a general practitioner, dated less than 30 days previously, attesting to your physical and psychological fitness to take on the role of a childminder. Your substitute must also produce such a certificate, attesting to their ability to temporarily take charge of the children who are usually under your care;
• provide proof of your professional qualifications by providing:
  1. a vocational capacity certificate or a vocational aptitude diploma in the psychosocial, educational or socio-educational fields, recognised by the Minister responsible for vocational training, and which qualifies its holder to work in professional childcare; or
  2. a secondary school-leaving certificate entitling the holder to professional socio-educational supervision of children, recognised by the Minister responsible for education; or
  3. a higher education qualification which qualifies its holder to work in professional childcare; the qualification must be recognised by the Minister responsible for higher education; or
  4. an authorisation to practise a healthcare profession in Luxembourg, issued by the Minister responsible for health, or a diploma in the field of healthcare that qualifies the holder to provide professional socio-educational support for children, recognised by the competent minister.

• provide a certificate showing that you have the B2 level of proficiency in accordance with the 'Common European Framework of Reference for Languages', in at least 1 of the 3 administrative languages, i.e. Luxembourgish, German and French (INL certificate or equivalent) or documents showing that you have completed at least 7 years of schooling in Luxembourg as part of Luxembourg public education or private education applying Luxembourg curricula (or equivalent);
• present a business plan that describes the services offered to children and is consistent with:
  • your family status;
  • your availability;
  • the resources and facilities available to the children cared for;
• provide a recent certificate of first-aid training (less than 5 years old). Only first aid courses recognised by the CGDIS are accepted;
• commit to respecting the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
• take out professional liability insurance (also applies for your substitute). You must comply with social security regulations;
• regularly attend continuing education or supervision training sessions (20 hours per year).

The facilities used must comply with the minimum criteria on health and safety. A guide to these criteria is available.

Recognition as a CSA Service provider

If you want to become a service provider under the Childcare Service Voucher (chèque-service accueil - CSA) scheme, you must meet the following conditions:

• have accreditation (see 'Forms / Online services');
• present a business plan (see below under 'How to proceed - CSA service provider' below);
• present a pedagogical project (see 'How to proceed - CSA service provider' below);
• annually produce an activity report reflecting the implementation of your business plan in your work with children;
• regularly attend continuing education or supervision training sessions recognised by the State.
• sign an agreement with the Ministry and satisfy all the legal and regulatory conditions governing the application of the childcare service voucher scheme;
• implement quality control tools and accept a visit from the SNJ regional representative. The role of the regional representatives is to monitor the quality of educational activities provided by education and care services establishments, childminders and services for young people.

How to proceed

Accreditation

Information session

Before applying for accreditation, anyone interested in parental assistance must attend an information session organised by the Dageselteren agency.

The agency provides training, guidance and information on childminding in a family environment, aimed at:

• parental assistants;
• applicants for accreditation;
• parents and future parents.

Application for accreditation

Applications for accreditation must be submitted to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth. The form is available under 'Forms / Online services' below.

An initial selection is made on the basis of the administrative file. If the conditions are met, you will receive an invitation to the preliminary training course. All applicants must have completed the preliminary training designed to prepare them for organising and carrying out the activity of childminders (parental assistants).

A site visit will be organised before accreditation is granted.

Should you wish to be recognised as a CSA service provider, a specific application must be submitted (see below).

Mandatory services

Parental assistance involves activities which vary depending on the child's age and needs:

• primary care;
• rest and sleep;
• nutritionally balanced meals;
• activities carried out in accordance with the national reference framework for 'Non-formal education for children and young people';
• regular organisation of outdoor trips;
• supervised study, involving the provision of a quiet environment which is conducive to doing homework.

In the absence of parents, you must:

• ensure that the children's basic needs are respected;
• guarantee the physical and emotional safety of the children and create an environment conducive to their development.

The children's interests must be your priority in all your actions in connection with your activity as parental assistant.

Substitute

You may be temporarily replaced for the care of the children entrusted to you, at your home, by one or 2 people engaged under an education and care services contract.

Your substitute and yourself must, at all times, comply with the maximum allowable capacity of 5 children.

The substitute may not work more than 200 hours in a year, or 8 hours a week.

You may therefore appoint one or 2 persons of trust who can serve as your 'substitute'. You must:

• take the necessary steps to ensure that your substitute is also covered by professional liability insurance;
• ensure that your substitute satisfies the conditions of health and good repute (see above 'Prerequisites - Accreditation').

As the parents are required to formally give their consent, you must identify your substitute(s) in the education and care services contract for each child registered in your care.

Transitional phase (B2 level certificate)

If you have an accreditation under the old provisions (accreditation granted before 4 September 2023) and if you do not meet the new language requirements, there will be a 3-year transitional phase to enable you to comply with the new provisions.

However, if you can prove that you have attended a Luxembourg school for 7 years, you are exempt from this new provision.

The certificate confirming B2 language level in 1 of the country's 3 official languages must be submitted to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth no later than 4 September 2026. This also applies to the proof that you have attended a school for 7 years in the Luxembourg school system.

CSA service provider

Application for recognition to become a CSA service provider

You must file an application for State aid – childcare service vouchers as a parental assistant (see 'Forms / Online services') – with the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, along with the following documents:

• the business plan;
• the pedagogical project (as an integral part of the business plan);

All documents must be sent to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.

Business plan

The business plan must conform to the national reference framework for 'Non-formal education of children and young people'.

As a CSA provider, you must describe the educational methods, priorities and resources used to achieve the objectives set out in the national reference framework.

Guidelines on how to write up a business plan are available at enfancejeunesse.lu.

The business plan is drafted for a period of 3 years. The National Youth Service analyses the business plan and the Minister of Education, Children and Youth validates it.

Pedagogical project

The pedagogical project is an integral part of the business plan and must be consistent with the public service mission.

The purpose of that mission is to:

• strengthen cohesion and social integration of the children in the local community in Luxembourg society;
• support the enrolment of children in the Luxembourg primary school system (basic education);

The pedagogical project describes the objectives you have set yourself in order to fulfil the public service mission.

One-time subsidy

The State can award you a one-time, non-recurring subsidy to help you acquire the equipment and materials you need for your activity. This one-time subsidy has a maximum amount of EUR 3,000.

The subsidy will only be awarded if you meet the following conditions:

1. be recognised as a service provider under the childcare service voucher scheme;
2. not yet have benefited from this one-time subsidy.

The completed and signed subsidy application form (see 'Forms / Online services') should be sent to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and must include the following documents and information:

1. copies of any invoices that:
   • provide evidence of the purchase of equipment and materials necessary for the operation of the childminding business; and
   • are dated less than 12 months before the date on which the application for the subsidy is received by the Minister;
2. where applicable, proof of payment of said invoices.

In case of an incomplete application, you will be informed of the need to provide additional documents within one month of the reception of this information. If you fail to provide this information by the deadline, your application for the subsidy will be automatically rejected.

The subsidy is subject to repayment if you cease your activity within 3 years of the date of the decision to award the subsidy.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact