Talking with nursery staff when your Spanish is limited

Key rules

• Ask first: Ask each nursery which app it uses, whether staff speak English and which language it uses with families.
• Tutoría: You can ask for a tutoría whenever you have a concern, not only at scheduled times.
• Health details: Give health and allergy information in writing, in Spanish.
• Photos: The nursery shares photos of your child only if you have given image consent.

You can keep in close touch with nursery staff with very little Spanish. Most contact is written, repeats the same topics every day, and is easy to run through a translation tool.

How daily contact works

Nurseries share daily information through a paper agenda (a notebook that travels with your child), an app, or both. Smaller centres may use WhatsApp or email. Public regional systems sometimes have their own platform. The app depends on the centre, so ask which one it uses.

Expect to see food eaten, nap times, nappy changes, mood, activities, incidents, announcements, the calendar and absences. You can also message the teacher. Photos are shared only if you have given consent for your child's image.

Managing with limited Spanish

• Use a translation app for daily chats. Messages in the family app or a WhatsApp group can be machine-translated, both when you read and when you write.
• Ask whether any educator or the director speaks English. This is more likely in private nurseries and in areas with many international families. Ask before you enrol.
• Bring a Spanish-speaking friend or a professional interpreter to the enrolment and to key meetings.
• Prepare short Spanish phrases in advance for sleep, food, nappies, illness, the pick-up person and allergies. The message templates below give you wording to start from.
• Put health and allergy details in writing. A written note avoids misunderstandings that a rushed chat at the door can cause.

Many parents pick up the core nursery vocabulary within weeks, because the same words come up daily.

Meetings and events

Nurseries typically hold:

• A welcome or information meeting before or at the start of term, usually September.
• Tutorías, which are individual parent-teacher interviews. There are usually one or two a year, and you can ask for one whenever you have a concern.
• A general group meeting each term.
• An adaptation period (periodo de adaptación), with parent contact in the first weeks.
• A written report at the end of each term.

Dates and the number of meetings vary by centre, so ask for the calendar. Events often include a Christmas festival, Carnival, crafts for Día del Padre and Madre, an end-of-year party or graduation, open days and outings. Some centres have an AMPA, a parents' association. Public centres may also have a parent representative on the school council.

If your region has its own language

In Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, the Balearics and the Valencian Community, nurseries often use the regional language in class and in notices. This is most common in public nurseries. Private nurseries vary: many use Spanish or both languages, and some are bilingual or in English.

Staff generally switch to Spanish if you ask. Written notices may be in the regional language only or in both languages, so run them through a translation app. Ask each nursery which language it uses with the children and with families.

Next steps

Use the checklist below to run through your questions for the nursery. The decision tool helps you choose an approach, and the FAQ covers common worries.

Choosing between options

How will you communicate with the nursery staff?

• Translation app and written messages: Fits when staff speak little English and you want a daily routine; use the family app or WhatsApp group and machine translation.

• Ask for English-speaking staff or choose an English-language nursery: Fits when you can still choose a nursery; English is more likely in private and international-area centres.

• Bring a Spanish speaker or interpreter: Fits for enrolment and key meetings, where misunderstandings matter most.

• Ask staff to use Spanish instead of the regional language: Fits in regions with a co-official language where the nursery works in that language; staff generally switch to Spanish on request.

Ask each nursery which language it uses with children and in family messages, and whether anyone speaks English. Use a translation app for daily chats and an interpreter for important meetings.

Checklist

• Ask the nursery whether it uses a paper agenda, an app or both, and which app.

• Install a translation app on your phone and use it for daily chats and for messages in the family app or WhatsApp group.

• Write down health and allergy details in Spanish and hand them over in writing.

• Ask for the dates of the welcome meeting, the tutorías and the term meetings.

• Ask for a tutoría whenever you have a concern, and read the written report at the end of each term.

• Learn the core nursery vocabulary for the first weeks.

Spanish message templates for nursery staff

Copy a message, fill in the blanks in the brackets, and send it through the nursery's app, email or WhatsApp. Each message has the Spanish first, then an English version so you know what you are sending.

Absences

Your child will be away for a day or more

Buenos días. Les escribo para avisar de que [nombre del niño/a] no vendrá a la escuela infantil [hoy / mañana / del ___ al ___]. Volverá el [fecha]. Gracias.

In English: Good morning. I am writing to let you know that [child's name] will not come to nursery [today / tomorrow / from ___ to ___]. They will be back on [date]. Thank you.

A planned absence, such as a trip

Buenos días. [Nombre del niño/a] estará fuera del [fecha] al [fecha] por [viaje familiar / motivo]. ¿Necesitan que les confirme algo más? Gracias.

In English: Good morning. [Child's name] will be away from [date] to [date] for [a family trip / reason]. Do you need me to confirm anything else? Thank you.

Illness

Your child is ill and stays home

Buenos días. [Nombre del niño/a] no puede ir hoy porque tiene [fiebre / vómitos / diarrea / tos / otro síntoma]. Les avisaré cuando sepamos más. Gracias.

In English: Good morning. [Child's name] cannot come today because they have [a fever / vomiting / diarrhoea / a cough / another symptom]. I will let you know when we know more. Thank you.

The doctor has given a diagnosis

Buenos días. El pediatra ha diagnosticado [enfermedad] a [nombre del niño/a]. [Volverá el ___ / Les confirmo la fecha de vuelta]. ¿Necesitan un informe médico para la reincorporación?

In English: Good morning. The paediatrician has diagnosed [child's name] with [illness]. [They will return on ___ / I will confirm the return date.] Do you need a medical note for their return?

Your child is back after being ill

Buenos días. [Nombre del niño/a] vuelve hoy a la escuela infantil. Ya no tiene fiebre desde hace [24 / 48] horas. Si notan algo, por favor llámenme.

In English: Good morning. [Child's name] is back at nursery today. They have had no fever for [24 / 48] hours. If you notice anything, please call me.

Check the nursery's own rules for how long a child must stay home after a fever or other illness, as these differ between nurseries.

Pick-up changes

Someone else will collect your child

Buenos días. Hoy recogerá a [nombre del niño/a] [nombre y parentesco, por ejemplo: su abuela María García]. Lleva su DNI o pasaporte. Gracias.

In English: Good morning. Today [child's name] will be collected by [name and relationship, for example: their grandmother María García]. They will bring ID or a passport. Thank you.

Adding a person who can collect your child regularly

Buenos días. Querríamos añadir a [nombre completo] a la lista de personas autorizadas para recoger a [nombre del niño/a]. ¿Qué documentos necesitan?

In English: Good morning. We would like to add [full name] to the list of people allowed to collect [child's name]. What documents do you need?

An earlier or later pick-up

Buenos días. Hoy recogeré a [nombre del niño/a] [más temprano, a las ___ / más tarde, a las ___]. Perdonen las molestias. Gracias.

In English: Good morning. Today I will collect [child's name] [earlier, at ___ / later, at ___]. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you.

Allergies

Telling the nursery about an allergy

Buenos días. [Nombre del niño/a] es alérgico/a a [alimento / medicamento / otra sustancia]. Su reacción es [descripción: por ejemplo, ronchas, vómitos, dificultad para respirar]. Adjunto el informe del médico. ¿Pueden confirmarme que lo han recibido y que el personal está informado?

In English: Good morning. [Child's name] is allergic to [food / medicine / other substance]. Their reaction is [description: for example, hives, vomiting, difficulty breathing]. I am attaching the doctor's report. Can you confirm that you have received it and that the staff have been told?

Asking about meals

Buenos días. ¿Podrían enviarme el menú de la semana? [Nombre del niño/a] no puede tomar [alimento]. ¿Pueden prepararle una alternativa?

In English: Good morning. Could you send me this week's menu? [Child's name] cannot eat [food]. Can you prepare an alternative?

Your child may have had a reaction

Buenos días. Hoy [nombre del niño/a] ha tenido [síntomas] después de [comida / actividad]. Por favor, díganme si ha comido algo distinto en la escuela. Gracias.

In English: Good morning. Today [child's name] had [symptoms] after [a meal / an activity]. Please tell me if they ate anything different at nursery. Thank you.

If your child has a severe allergy, ask the nursery to agree in writing what staff will do in an emergency, and keep any prescribed medicine and the doctor's report at the nursery.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send messages to the nursery in English through the app?

Yes, you can write in English in the nursery's family app or WhatsApp group, but staff may need to machine-translate it. Keep messages short and simple so the translation stays clear. For health or allergy details, add a short note in Spanish.

Will the nursery use Catalan or another regional language with me?

Yes, in regions with a co-official language, many nurseries use it in the classroom and in notices, especially public ones. Staff generally switch to Spanish on request. Written notices may be bilingual or in the regional language only, so ask for a Spanish copy if you need one.

How often are there parent-teacher meetings, and can I ask for one?

Individual tutorías usually happen once or twice a year, and you can ask for one at other times. There is also a welcome meeting around September and a general group meeting each term.

Which photos of my child will the nursery share with me?

Nurseries share photos in the app only where families have given consent for image use. You will usually be asked to sign this when you enrol. Ask the centre what it covers if you are unsure.