What are the options?

Luxembourg has a comprehensive child care infrastructure encompassing formal and non-formal education. Indeed, Luxembourg ranks amongst the five highest OECD and EU countries on childcare provisions.

And with some 4,000 new school-age children arriving in Luxembourg each year, demand for after school care is high.

When seeking a fit for your family, arrange visits, speak with staff and find out more about the activities on offer. After school care should provide a stimulating, inclusive and safe environment within which children can thrive.

The Luxembourg government recognises that non-formal education plays an essential role in a child's development. It complements the formal curriculum, providing a relaxed environment where childcare can further develop essential skills in language, fine and gross motor, social relations and creativity.

Since the beginning of the school year 2022/23, non-formal education like Maison Relais, daycare centres, crèches and parental assistants, are free of charge for children enrolled in basic education. It applies during school weeks for children age 4+, for whom primary school is mandatory and includes free school lunches. It is estimated this offer will cost the government around €22 million a year.

Families can benefit from free hours between 7am - 7pm. It will remain fee paying during school holidays and for extended hours, for which the CSA scale can be applied to calculate the financial contribution of parents and the State. For school weeks, parents' financial participation will no longer be capped by a flat rate.

This change in law represents an important step in educational policy where children are guaranteed free access to both formal and non-formal education to give them the best chances for their future.

Eligibility does not apply to pre-school age children. However, the 20 hours of free plurilingual childcare for ages 1 to 4 in crèche still applies with the option to use the CSA. A benefit for many parents in Luxembourg given nearly two thirds of children age 3 and under are cared for by professionals, one of the highest formal childcare rates in the EU.

The Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch emphasised that every child must have the same chances of succeeding in school, regardless of socio-economic background, language and migratory profile.

A list of options

State Maison Relais/drop in centres

Launched in 2005, these educational facilities offer a combination of preschool, daycare and after school care. Service delivery is around education, activities, homework supervision, individual support plus service during lunch. Some communes offer nature oriented delivery focusing more heavily on outdoor play.

Opening hours and services may vary between communes, however most can receive children aged 3 to 12 (in some cases up to 18), usually between the hours of 7am and 7pm.

These centres were primarily set up to support working parents, so in some cases operate extended hours between 6am and 8am and beyond 7pm.

Any child registered in a commune is automatically enrolled in basic education within the commune along with the right to access the Maison Relais. However, you can choose between public and private Maison Relais. Both are very similar but languages offered and pedagogical approach can vary.

If the state Maison Relais are running close to capacity, places are allocated based on priority groups, primarily both parents working, children living in the exact commune, single parent families, children with educational needs, and those referred by social work.

The Government regulates Maison Relais centres and they are subject to accreditation by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth to ensure high quality standards.

Not all communes offer Maison Relais but you can easily check with your commune. It may be possible to secure a place at state Maison Relais if there are two parents in the household and one is not working, however this will vary between communes depending on demand. Contact the respective commune directly.

A concern of the free non-formal offer is the potential waste of taxpayer money. Parents could lack motivation to inform the facility of a child's absence as they are no longer liable. The government will now be invoiced for these missed hours.

Registering your child

Most registrations are submitted annually, in person where you can collect enrolment forms. It is possible to join a Maison Relais throughout the year but there may be a waiting list. There is a degree of flexibility with attendance and most will offer 'settling in' sessions to help the children acclimate.

For children with special needs who are in basic education, a medical certificate is submitted by parents to the drop-in centre manager. This will aid and inform any additional supervision and hours required to meet the child's needs.

The Red Cross operate Maison Relais facilities in Luxembourg, for example in the commune of Dippach. They are run the same way as public Maison Relais, however the pedagogy is based on the Reggio system, where children largely choose their own activities and teachers accommodate student interest within lessons in real time.

The Red Cross operate 15 facilities in total and a full list of their venues with further details can be found here.

Private Maison Relais centres

In high demand areas, state Maison Relais may have a waiting list. This forces some parents to look at private facilities. During term time, if the private provider's rate exceeds €6 per hour, the parent pays the difference.

Private Maison Relais usually operate on a fee basis and have their own enrolment procedures and admission criteria, so contact them directly. These include Montessori drop in centres of 'L'enfant Roi' and 'Sunflower'. For children not attending basic local education in Luxembourg, private after school options can be appropriate.

The official website of Luxembourg's social security institutions shows the pricing structure and tariffs depending upon family income in relation to social minimum wage.

Luxembourg City, Foyers Scolaires

For children (aged 3 to 12) enrolled in the Luxembourgish school system in the City, after school care falls under 'foyers scolaires'. Children are cared for in their neighbourhood facility, these are also in operation during school holidays, full details here

Mini crèches

Mini crèches can accommodate a maximum number of 11 children from 0 to 12 simultaneously, including no more than 4 children under the age of one. These are run by a minimum of 2 people and they offer a multilingual programme.

You can find more information on site-based childcare, including crèches, day care and Maison Relais on Guichet.lu.

Day Nurseries

These are non-residential childcare options from 2 months to aged 8 for a maximum of 16 hours a week, public and private. Quite useful to transition kids between school and home.

Parental assistants, nannies, babysitters, au pair

Need a more personalised and flexible solution? Parental assistants, certified by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, can offer flexibility not afforded in more traditional childcare environments. Click here for a more detailed article.

If you can afford to house and host an au pair, they can care for your children as well as carry out every day tasks in the home. In return, you provide room and board and language courses plus pocket money and days off. The system is highly regulated to avoid abuse and there are restrictions around the number of hours an au pair can work, for example. More details in our article here.

Nannies and babysitters could also offer a more flexible option for after school care. You must follow a process and register your nanny with the Centre commun de la securite sociale (CCSS) and declare the hourly rate you will pay. More information is available here.

Most communes have a list of babysitters operating in your local area.