Objectives and accessibility

Individual care is delivered by childminders who either work independently (accueillant.e.s d’enfants indépendant.e.s) or employees within the Choldcare Service (accueillant.e.s d’enfants salariées). These childcare settings are the responsibility of the Birth and Childhood Office (Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE)) of the French Community, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Childhood, Youth, Youth Support and Justice Centres.

Individual care generally takes place in the childminder’s home, or in a specially equipped space in the home or a space made available by the municipality or a local association. The binding framework established by the Childcare Quality Code applies to home-based care.

Individual family-based care can be preferred by some families, as the child is cared for in a very small community, in a house.

In subsidised childcare settings, the financial contribution of families is calculated according to the income of each family. Non-subsidised childcare settings set their own prices.

In total, as at 31 December 2024, the number of places available for individual childcare within the French Community was 9,293 (i.e. 20.6%), of which 7,760 were subsidised by the ONE and 1,533 were not subsidised by the ONE. Individual childcare therefore accounts for around one fifth of places for children under the age of 2.5 years.

Requirements for childminders and child ratios

Childminders must be aged 18–67 years.

All workers in childcare settings (regardless of type) must provide a clean criminal record free of any convictions relating to minors, a medical certificate stating that the worker is physically and psychologically fit to be in contact with children and that he/she will not represent a danger to them, as well as proof of immunity against rubella for any female member of the household aged 15–50, ...

Independent childminders are also required to meet certain administrative conditions, such as being registered with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) as an independent worker; drawing up a financial plan, a childcare plan and a childcare contract, …

There are also rules to be respected regarding the infrastructure of the childcare setting, fire standards, insurance, management and mitigation of risks, and monitoring of the preparatory process.

In individual childcare settings, the child is cared for as part of a small group of children (maximum of four full-time-equivalent children per childminder, with a maximum of five children simultaneously). Independent childminders can work in pairs (co-care), in which case a maximum of eight full-time-equivalent children can be grouped together (10 children simultaneously).

Initial training of a childminder

In accordance with the decree of the Government of the French Community establishing the authorisation and subsidy scheme for nurseries, childcare services and independent childminders of 2 May 2019 (and its modifications in 2022 and 2023), childcare staff must provide proof of recognised initial training.

A childminder (independent or employed by a childcare service or crèche) must have at least a certificate of upper secondary education (ISCED level 3) in the field of education, which require a number of ECEC skills, namely one of the following titles :

• certificate of qualification in childcare (puériculteur/puéricultrice) (3 years; 36 periods/week – minimum of 1 000 periods of internship over the 3 years of training – ISCED level 4) ;
• certificate of qualification in education (agent.e d’éducation) (a full-time course over 2 years – minimum of 28 periods/week – ISCED level 3) ;
• CESS and one of the following trainings :
  o    certificate of qualification as a childcare assistant (14 months – 1 264 periods of which 660 periods are coursework and 604 periods are internship) ;
  o    certificate of qualification as an educator (adult education – 3 years with a minimum of 600 periods of internship) ;
  o    certificate of business management course : childminder (390 periods with a minimum of 274 periods of internship).
• Furthermore, there is a possibility of exemption from the CESS under certain conditions : exemption from the CESS granted for the IFAPME or EFPME ‘business manager’ training diploma to anyone who began their training before 1 January 2020 and holds this diploma.
• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Care and Education (3 years – ISCED level 6).

Continuous Professional Development

Childminders (independent or employees), as well as psycho-medical-social supervisors, managers and childminders in collective childcare settings undergo continuous professional development during their career.

The organising authority establishes, in consultation with the staff of the childcare setting, a continuous professional development plan in relation to the childcare plan for its entire duration. This development plan is implemented through the participation of the staff in training modules included in a continuous professional development programme determined every 5 years by the government, on the basis of a proposal from ONE.

Independent childminders and staff in other care settings are obliged to participate in 2 training days per year, on average.