Childcare and family logistics
Helps you arrange reliable childcare while settling and working.
Arrange childcare while settling and working: options from birth to school age, nursery places, choosing and settling in, costs and subsidies, in-home help and cover around the school day and holidays.
- topics
- 6
- articles
- 44
- of reading
- 4.5 hours
Begin with
Choosing your childcare option
You will see every realistic childcare option in Spain, which fits your child's age and your working life, and what to do in your first months.
Childcare options for a child under 3 in Spain · Matching childcare to your work pattern and budget · Childcare for a baby under one year
More in childcare and family logistics
5 more topics in this section, about 4.5 hours of reading in all.
Getting a nursery place
You will understand how places are allocated, when and how to apply, what newcomers score, and what to do if you arrive outside the window.
How public nursery places (escuelas infantiles) work in Spain · When to apply for a nursery place and key deadlines · Arriving with a toddler outside the nursery admission window
Choosing and settling into nursery
You will know how to pick a centre, what the enrolment commits you to, and how nursery days, illness and communication work.
Does the label matter, nursery (escuela infantil) or daycare (guardería)? · Finding and visiting a private nursery you can trust · Nursery language, bilingual and international options
Childcare costs and subsidies
You will be able to budget childcare realistically and know which aid to look for and how newcomers can claim it.
What childcare costs in Spain by option · What a legal nanny really costs · Is nursery free anywhere in Spain?
Nannies, au pairs and household help
You will know how to find a nanny or sitter, what Spanish law requires of you as a household employer, and where informal arrangements stop being informal.
Finding and vetting a nanny or babysitter you can trust · Hiring a nanny legally and registering them with Social Security · Already paying a nanny informally? How to regularise
Before-school, after-school and holiday care
You will know what wraparound care exists, how to cover the long summer and school breaks, and how to build backup cover.
Morning care (aula matinal) and after-school clubs (extraescolares) · Why school does not solve your childcare gap · Who runs school-based care and how to sign up
Other sections in Family, children, and education
School systems and enrollment
Helps you choose and enrol in the right school or study place.
Language and integration at school
Helps you help a child learn and settle in a new school language.
Special needs and support
Helps you get a child with additional needs evaluated and supported.
Partner alignment and family adjustment
Helps you keep the family aligned and coping through the move.
School costs, meals, transport and financial support
Helps you budget for and reduce the cost of schooling.
University and higher education
Helps you choose, get into and pay for university or other higher study in Spain.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.