The parental crèche is an associative structure created and managed by parents. It welcomes children under conditions similar to the collective crèche, with the difference that their care is partially provided by the parents. The number of staff is also small: parental crèches take in a maximum of twenty children.

The parental crèche is a form of collective childcare, like the municipal crèche. This model was created in response to the shortage of places in traditional nurseries.

The management of the parental crèche

The parental crèche is initiated by the parents themselves. It is created and then managed by an association of parents: it is a private structure.

Despite this atypical mode of operation, the parental crèche obeys strict rules:

• Its opening requires the authorization of the Chairman of the Departmental Council.
• The reception area must comply with the applicable health and safety standards.
• The structure is managed by an early childhood professional and the supervisory staff hold appropriate diplomas.
• The crèche is regularly checked by the departmental service for maternal and child protection (PMI).

The conditions for admission to a parental crèche

• The age of the child: the parental crèche admits children from two months to three years old, or until they enter kindergarten.
• One place available: parental crèches accommodate up to twenty-five children.
• The weekly presence of a parent: parents who choose to enroll their child in a parental crèche must be required to attend half a day per week. Parents must also get involved in the functioning of the nursery: preparation of meals, organization of activities, management, etc.

Reception conditions for young children

Like the traditional collective crèche – municipal crèche for example – the parental crèche respects strict supervision rules: children are looked after by early childhood professionals at the rate of one person for five children who do not walk. and one person for every eight children who walk. The parental crèche accommodates a maximum of twenty-five children.

The parents, brought together in association, then establish themselves the operating rules of the structure, and in particular: the opening hours, the educational and pedagogical projects put in place, the method of recruiting the supervisory staff, the internal regulations …

Children are cared for in a small number of places, by professionals who ensure their health, safety, well-being and development.

The crèche is administered by qualified supervisory staff:

• A director: nursery nurse, doctor or early childhood educator.
• Early childhood professionals with an early childhood CAP, a childcare assistant diploma or early childhood educator. They are one person for every five children who do not walk and one person for every eight children who walk.
• Housekeeping staff.
• If the crèche is subsidized by CAF, parents pay a preferential hourly rate calculated on the basis of their income and their family situation (1).
• If the crèche is not funded by CAF, parents do not benefit from a preferential hourly rate but can receive financial assistance: the free choice of childcare system (Cmg) of the Paje system.

All types of professionals can also intervene: facilitators, psychologists, psychomotor therapists, etc.

Finally, and this is the peculiarity of the parental crèche, the parents are present in turn for at least half a day per week.

Like the public crèche, the parental crèche can be subsidized by the local municipality as well as by the CAF.

In any case, parents benefit from a tax reduction for expenses incurred for the care of their young child.

Parents can find out from their town hall about the existence of parental nurseries in their geographical area.

To ensure a place in a crèche, it is strongly recommended to pre-register as early as possible – even before the birth of the child! Each crèche freely determines its admission criteria as well as the filing date and the list of documents in the registration file. To obtain this information, it is advisable to approach the choice of the town hall or the director of the establishment.

Childcare less widespread than the traditional collective crèche, this private structure created on the initiative of an association of parents has many advantages.