Who runs school-based care and how to sign up

Terms used

• AMPA — The AMPA is the school's parents' association, which often runs or organises care and activities.
• Aula matinal — The aula matinal is supervised early-morning care before classes start.
• Extraescolares — Extraescolares are optional afterschool activities such as sport, music or language clubs.
• Concertado — A concertado school is a privately run school that receives state funding.

Key rules

• Providers: Care is run by the AMPA, the municipality or regional education department, or a private company, depending on the school.
• Minimum numbers: A service or activity may be cancelled or merged if too few children sign up.
• Sign-up: You enrol through the school's own process, not a national system.
• AMPA membership: Membership is often optional but can give priority or a lower price.

Who runs school care

Three kinds of provider run school care, and your child's school tells you which one applies.

• The AMPA. This is the parents' association. It either runs the service itself or hires monitors.
• The municipality or regional education department. It organises the service or hires a company. In Andalucía, for example, the regional government runs a family support plan (early-morning care, canteen and afterschool activities) through contracted firms.
• A private operator. This is a monitoring or leisure company hired by the school, the AMPA or the council.

Families usually pay the provider directly, often by direct debit. Not every school has every service, and what exists depends on demand.

What changes by school type

• Public school: Early-morning care (aula matinal), canteen and afterschool activities (extraescolares) usually run through the AMPA, the council or a regional plan. Prices are lower. Some regions regulate them and offer discounts for low income and large families.
• Concertado school (state-funded private): The school often runs its own wider service, with early opening and afternoon care. It usually sets prices within regional limits.
• Private or international school: Hours are usually the longest and activities the widest. They are often included in the fee, or added to it at a higher cost.

The decision block below helps you pick where to sign up.

How to sign up

Sign-up is school-specific, so there is no single national system. In short:

1. Ask the school secretariat or the AMPA what exists and who runs it.
2. Get the form from the school, the AMPA, the provider's website or the regional education portal.
3. Fill it in, choose the service and days, and add health or allergy information.
4. Add your direct-debit details and submit it where the school tells you.
5. Wait for confirmation. Where demand is higher than capacity, places are allocated by criteria, so a place is not guaranteed.

The checklist below has the full list. To cancel or change, give written notice before the month ends.

Minimum numbers

A service or activity may not run if too few children sign up. There is no national rule. Each school, AMPA or provider sets its own minimum, commonly around 6 to 10 children for an activity and fewer for early-morning care. In regulated regional programmes, the regional rules or the contract set it. If the minimum is not reached, the activity is usually cancelled, merged with another group or time slot, or run at a higher price per child. Families are told before it starts. Ask the school or AMPA for the minimum before you count on a service.

Do you have to join the AMPA?

Usually the law does not require it for school-run care. Many AMPAs still give members priority or a lower price, and some require membership to enrol. The yearly fee is typically 15 to 40 euros per family, and care fees are charged separately. Ask the school which applies to you.

What newcomers should do

Ask early, ideally when you enrol your child at the school. Sign-up often closes before the term starts, and you may need to ask for forms in Spanish. Take the school's answers, not general advice, as the final word on hours and prices.

Choosing between options

Where will you sign up for care, given your child's type of school?

• Public school: Your child is at a public school: ask the AMPA or the council, or look at the regional plan. Prices are lower and discounts exist for low income and large families, but a service only runs where there is demand.

• Concertado school: Your child is at a state-funded private school: the school usually runs its own wider service with early opening and afternoon care, so sign up at the school secretariat. Prices are set by the school within regional limits.

• Private or international school: Your child is at a private or international school: the longest hours and widest activities are usually included in or added to the fees, at a higher cost, so ask the school what the fee covers.

Start at your child's school secretariat: it tells you whether the AMPA, the council or a private operator runs the care, and where the sign-up form goes.

Checklist

• Add your bank direct-debit details to the form.

• Submit the form at the secretariat, to the AMPA or provider by email or online portal, or through the regional portal.

• Ask the school or AMPA what minimum number of children the service or activity needs to run.

• Ask whether AMPA membership is required, or gives priority or a lower price, and what the yearly fee is.

• Wait for confirmation of your place, and give written notice before the month ends if you want to cancel or change it.

What to watch out for

• The service may not run: Schools, AMPAs and providers set a minimum number of children per group. If too few sign up, the activity can be cancelled, merged with another group or time slot, or run at a higher price per child. Ask the school or AMPA for the minimum before you sign up, and keep a backup plan for your working hours until the service is confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to join the AMPA to use school-run care?

Often no, joining the AMPA is not legally required to use school-run care, but some AMPAs do require membership to enrol.

What happens if too few children sign up for an activity?

If too few children sign up, the activity is usually cancelled, merged with another group or time slot, or run at a higher price per child. There is no national minimum, and an activity often needs somewhere around 6 to 10 children.

Can I change or cancel the service once my child is signed up?

Yes, you can change or cancel, but you must give written notice before the month ends. Send it to the school secretariat, the AMPA or the provider, whoever runs the service.

Will my child definitely get a place?

Not always, because where more families apply than there are places, spots are allocated by criteria. You wait for confirmation after submitting the form. Regulated programmes, such as the regional plans in Andalucía, set their own minimums.