Place guarantee in early childhood education and care (ECEC)

ECEC for children aged up to 3 years

Care for children aged up to 3 years is a statutory task of the commune (gmina, the lowest-level local government unit). However, there is no guarantee in the legislation to provide a place at a childcare institution to children aged under 3 years.

The main barrier to access is the small number of crèches in relation to the demand. Changes introduced since 2011 have aimed to provide conditions for the development of diverse care settings and to improve the quality of care for children aged up to 3 years. Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of early childhood care institutions. 

After a temporary halt in the increase caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation is slowly returning to normal, although interest in crèche care is still lower than in 2020. In 2023, around 186,800 children (a decline by more than 4,000 children compared with 2022), including around 2,100 children with a disability (300 children more), attended institutions for children aged up to 3 years. 

Compared with 2022, the number of childcare institutions increased by only 1% in 2023. The demand for places in crèches has yet to be met. For example, in 2023, crèches administered by the communes represented only 25.8% of all crèches (a 0.2% decrease compared with 2022); the remaining crèches (74.2%) were non-public institutions. The communes also administered only 18.9% of all kids’ clubs (an increase by only 0.9% compared with 2022); 81.1% were non-public institutions.

Table 1. Number of institutions and places for children aged up to 3 years, 2011–2023

Source: Reports on the care for children aged up to 3 years, 2011–2023. The 2011 and 2012 reports did not include the number of places in non-public institutions; the figures are based on the Council of Ministers report on the implementation of the Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years in 2023.

At the end of 2023, childcare institutions (crèches, kids’ clubs and day-care providers) were already available in 1,372 communes, representing 55.4% of all communes in Poland, as compared with 1,354 communes (55%) at the end of 2022 (data from the report of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy). As regards rural communes, at the end of 2023, childcare institutions were available in 605 (40.5%) of all rural communes, compared with 624 communes (40%) at the end of 2022. A decrease in the number and, at the same time, the comparable percentage of rural communes with childcare institutions is due to the fact that some rural communes have become municipal communes. 

The data shows that the number of childcare institutions increases each year, as does the number of communes where childcare services are available. However, the pace of change is still too slow. At the end of 2023, communes and non-public entities in 776 communes (around 31.3% of all communes in Poland) estimated that they needed around 56,000 childcare places in total, including around 46,200 places in crèches, around 3,100 in kids’ clubs, and around 6,700 at day-care provider settings. At the end of 2022, 841 communes reported that there was a demand for 65,200 places. 

Among the communes with the demand for new childcare places, 265 were rural communes. They reported the demand for 5,300 places. In the previous year, 313 rural communes needed 6,300 places. 

Table 2. Children aged 0–3 years enrolled in childcare institutions (based on the Central Statistical Office data)

At the end of 2021, around 36.0% of children aged over 1 year were provided with childcare. Children under 1 year of age in childcare represented only 1.2% of the total population. However, it should be noted that parents themselves most often look after their children under 1 year of age and take parental leave to do so. Additionally, pursuant to the Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years (ustawa o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do 3 lat), kids’ clubs take children aged over 1 year, which has an impact on this age group as a proportion of the total population enrolled in various childcare institutions.

The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy expects that the rate of participation in centre-based childcare for children aged up to 3 years will reach 33% by the end of 2030.

Children with disabilities and children requiring special care represented around 1.16% of all children enrolled in crèches and kids’ clubs (an increase of 0.26% compared with 2022). 

Preschool education for children aged 3–6 years

Every child has the right to receive preschool education from the beginning of the school year in the calendar year when they reach the age of 3 years until the end of the school year in the calendar year when they reach the age of 7. Children aged 3–5 years have the right to participate in preschool education in a nursery school, a preschool class in the primary school or another preschool education setting. It is compulsory for 6-year-old children to complete one year of preparatory preschool education.

Nursery schools and schools have not been established in some sparsely populated rural areas owing to the small number of children. Thus, there is still a considerable unsatisfied need in these areas in terms of access to preschool education. Moreover, communes in these areas have very rarely chosen to establish preschool education units or centres close to children’s homes. 

As provided for in the legislation, communes should establish alternative preschool education settings (preschool education units or centres) in specific demographic and geographical conditions to supplement the network of nursery schools. Like nursery schools, alternative settings can be public or non-public. The establishment and administration of such alternative settings are statutory tasks of the commune. Public preschool education settings can also be administered by legal or natural persons on the basis of a permit issued by the commune concerned. In such cases, they also receive from the commune a grant for each child, which is equal to at least 50% of the current expenditure per child in nursery schools administered by the commune.

To administer a non-public alternative preschool education setting, legal and natural persons should be entered onto the Register of Non-Public Schools and Educational Institutions, which is kept by the commune. If a non-public alternative preschool education setting: 

• offers fee-free education and childcare for the number of hours that is not lower than that set by the commune council for public alternative settings administered by the commune;

• charges fees for preschool education that are not higher than those set by the commune council;

• applies the rules for admission applicable to public alternative settings established in the Law on School Education (ustawa Prawo oświatowe). 

it receives from the commune budget a grant for each child that is equal to 50% of the grant for nursery schools. The grant for a pupil with a disability may not be lower than the amount set in the school education section of the general subsidy for the commune for a pupil with a disability attending an alternative preschool education setting. 

If a non-public alternative setting does not meet the conditions listed above, the grant awarded is equal to 40% of the current expenditure per child incurred by a public nursery school in a given commune. 

Like nursery schools, alternative settings implement the national core curriculum for preschool education, and activities/classes with children are run by teachers who have qualifications required for work in a nursery school. Like in the case of other preschool education institutions, the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (kurator oświaty) exercises pedagogical supervision over alternative preschool education settings.

The measures taken by the Ministry of National Education to tackle the shortage of ECEC places include:

• development of the network of preschool education institutions, and availability of various preschool education settings for preschool-age children;

• provision of counselling and guidance (so-called psychological and educational support) to support the development and education of children;

• State-budget financial support for local government units to satisfy preschool education needs at a faster pace.

The table below shows the rates of participation in preschool education for children aged 3 to 5 years in the school years 2019/2020-2024/2025. 

Table 3. Preschool education participation rates for children aged 3 to 5 years (based on the data of the Central Statistical Office and the Ministry of National Education)

In the school year 2024/2025, the preschool education participation rate for children aged 3-5 years was 93.3%, which indicates a decrease of 0.9% compared with 2023/2024. This results from the relatively low interest in preschool education among parents of 3-year-old children (85.0%). The participation rates are much higher for older children: 96.1% for 4-year-olds and 98.0% for 5-year-olds. 

The preschool education participation rate has increased again for children in rural areas (86.8%). 

6-year-olds take the compulsory preparatory preschool education year or may start full-time compulsory education in the first grade of the primary school, as parents are free to choose a preferred education path for their 6-year-old children (preschool education or school education).

In 2024, 1,451,800 children participated in preschool education (a decline by 59,800 compared with 2023). Since the preschool education participation rate for children aged 3-5 years is increasing, the decline results primarily from the downward demographic trend (each year, the number of newborn children drops on average by 20,000). 

The proportion of children aged 3-5 years attending preschool education institutions is much larger in urban areas (98.5%) than in rural areas (86.8%). The relatively low participation rate in rural areas results, in particular, from the fact that some children living in rural areas attend preschool education settings in cities (parents commute for work to the city where their children participate in preschool education). Furthermore, children of Ukrainian refugees more often attend preschool education institutions in cities (28,600 children). Based on the School Education Information System data, in total, 32,307 children from Ukraine participated in preschool education in 2024/2025. 

Affordability

ECEC  for children aged up to 3 years

Parents are required to cover the costs of their children’s attendance at, and meals provided in a crèche, a kids’ club or a day-care provider setting (home-based provision). The competent local government body (the council of the commune (gmina), the council of the district (powiat) or the council of the regional assembly (sejmik wojewódzki)) sets a fee for the stay and the maximum amount to be charged for meals. The competent body may also lay down conditions for full or partial fee waivers. Fees in crèches and kids’ clubs administered by entities other than local government units are set by the bodies administering such institutions.

Parents may pay a fee for attendance at a crèche, kids’ club or day-care provider setting on a monthly or hourly basis.

The statutes of a crèche or kids’ club establish rules for setting fees for attendance and meals during a child’s absence.

Monthly attendance fees in 2023 were, in most cases, within the following range (the average exchange rate used in the sections on ECEC for children aged up to 3 years is 1 euro = 4.3480 PLN):

• crèches: up to PLN 350 (EUR 80.50) at 18% of crèches; from PLN 350.01 to 600 (EUR 80.50 to 137.99) at 18% of crèches; from PLN 600.01 to 850 (EUR 137.99 to 195.49) at 11%; and from PLN 1,000.01 to 1,250 (EUR 229.99 to 287.49) at 17%; 

• kids’ clubs: up to PLN 350 (EUR 80.50) at 7% of kids’ clubs; from PLN 350.01 to 600 (EUR 80.50 to 137.99) at 17%; from PLN 600.01 to 850 (EUR 137.99 to 195.49) at 17%; from PLN 850.01 to 1,000 (EUR 195.49 to 229.99) at 14%; from PLN 1,000.01 to 1,250 (EUR 229.99 to 287.49) at 21%; and from PLN 1,250 to 1,500 (EUR 287.49 to 344.99) at 16%; 

• day-care providers: up to PLN 350 (EUR 80.50) at 13% of day-care providers; from PLN 350,01 to 600 (EUR 80.50 to 137.99) at 3%; from PLN 600.01 to 850 (EUR 137.99 to 195.49) at 8%; from PLN 850.01 to 1,000 (EUR 195.49 to 229.99) at 7%; from PLN 1000.01 to 1,250 (EUR 229.99 to 287.49) at 18%; from PLN 1,250.01 to 1,500 (EUR 287.49 to 344.99) at 23%; and above PLN 1,500 (EUR 344.99) at 28%. 

(Based on the Council of Ministers report on the implementation of the Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years in 2023; text in Polish).

Parents usually paid a daily fee for meals. Regardless of the type of childcare setting, fees were above PLN 10 in most cases. Thus, parents most often paid at least PLN 210.21 (EUR 48.35) per month (for a child who attended an institution 21 working days per month).

Fees for crèches, kids’ clubs and day-care provider settings vary depending on the sector to which the entity establishing a childcare institution belongs. Fees charged to parents by public-sector entities are lower than those in the private sector as communes (lowest-level local government units) use their own funds to cover a large part of the running costs of places at childcare institutions.

In 2023, local government units allocated PLN 3.137 billion (nearly EUR 721.5 million) for places for children aged up to 3 years (including capital spending) at public institutions. The corresponding amount in the previous year was PLN 2,143,760 (over EUR 457.1 million).

Pursuant to the amended Act on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years (ustawa o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do 3 lat), financial support, amounting to PLN 400 (EUR 91.99) per month, has been provided since 1 April 2022 to reduce fees for the stay of a child at a crèche, kids’ club or day-care provider setting.

Such financial support is available for a child attending a crèche, kids’ club or day-care provider setting if they have not received a so-called family care capital grant (rodzinny kapitał opiekuńczy). Family care capital grants aim to cover partially the expenses of raising a child, including caring for and meeting the child’s living needs.

Children are entitled to a family care capital grant from the first day of the month when they reach the age of 12 months till the last day of the month preceding the month when they reach the age of 36 months. The grant amounts to PLN 500 (EUR 114.99) or PLN 1,000 (EUR 2229.99) per month and per child in the family.

The total amount of the grant to be paid may not exceed PLN 12,000 (EUR 2,759.89) per child.

All children attending crèches, kids’ clubs or day-care provider settings received financial support in the form of the family care capital grant or the above-mentioned monthly grant of PLN 400 (EUR 91.99) in accordance with the provisions of the Act on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years that were in force till March 2024. In 2023, a total amount of PLN 2.2 billion was spent on the family care capital grants. On average, 198,400 children benefited from the support each month. 

An amount of PLN 433.5 million was spent to contribute towards the costs of children’s stay at childcare institutions. On average, 86,300 children benefited from the support each month. 

Preschool  education for children aged 3–6 years

Preschool education institutions provide free-of-charge education and care to children aged 3 years and over for at least 5 hours a day. Each commune determines the duration of fee-free education and care (not shorter than 5 hours per day). 

Pursuant to the Act of 27 October 2017 on the Financing of School Education Tasks (ustawa z dnia 27 października 2017 o finansowaniu zadań oświatowych), the maximum amount of the fee, as set on 1 September 2024, that communes can charge to parents is PLN 1.44 (EUR 0.34, according to the exchange rate of EUR 1 = PLN 4.2730) for each additional hour of preschool education (beyond the minimum of 5 fee-free hours). The commune can also set conditions for full or partial fee waiver. For 6-year-olds, preschool education is free of charge regardless of the duration of stay (parents pay for meals only).

For 5-year- and 6-year-olds, if the distance between the child’s home and the school or nursery school exceeds 3 km, the commune is required to provide free transport to a public nursery school, public alternative preschool education setting or public school with a preschool class, and free care during transport, or to reimburse the costs of public transport.

Public nursery schools can organise various additional classes in, for example, rhythmic gymnastics or an additional foreign language, but may not charge related additional fees (such classes can be taught only as part of the regular fees of up to PLN 1.44 for each hour of classes).