Childcare options in France

Nantes Saint-Nazaire routinely ranks among France's most "family-friendly" cities. The quality of life and local childcare, healthcare, education and culture offering make the area a great place for families.

Childcare options

There are several types of childcare available, depending on the age of your child(ren). You can choose a group childcare centre (known in French as crèches, micro-crèches, haltes-garderies or jardins d’enfants) or individual childcare (childminder, in-home childcare or a shared nanny). There are also day camps (centres de loisir) for school-age children during school holidays. You can find information at your local city hall or on the website of the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales.
You may be eligible for financial aid, either on sliding scale rates if your child under 6 years is kept in a crèche, or direct assistance (childcare allowance) if you employ a childminder or have chosen in-home childcare.

A one-stop shop in Nantes, a dedicated space in Saint-Nazaire

The city of Nantes has set up a one-stop shop to make it easy to enrol your child in group childcare centres. A child can be placed on the waiting list when the mother is 6 months pregnant. Under this system, it is possible to select up to 8 different childcare centres (4 run by the city and 4 run by associations).
The municipality of Saint-Nazaire has also set up a "Family Space" online to facilitate administrative procedures and payments.

International childcare options

Several organisations offer bilingual or multilingual childcare in Nantes (with enrolment via the one-stop shop): Fluffy, a French English bilingual childcare centre run by an association, The Maison de Jordan, a French/English/Spanish childcare centre run by an association, Hansel and Gretel, a Franco-German childcare centre run by an association, and Une Souris Verte, a French-English bilingual childcare centre on a houseboat. In Saint-Nazaire, various bilingual English-French childcare options are available (Sherwood, Baby Speaking).

Financial aid

If you are a foreign national and you live in France with your family, you may be eligible for certain financial benefits such as family allowances, provided you have a residence permit and your children live with you.