Accessibility

Infant care (vrefikoi stathmoi), infant/child care (vrefonipiakoi stathmoi) and child care centres (paidikoi stathmoi), operate in Municipalities across the country.  Their operation is governed by the “Standard regulation of operation for municipal infant/child care (vrefonipiakoi stathmoi) and child care centres (paidikoi stathmoi)” (Joint Ministerial Decision 41087/29-11-2017).

• Child care centres accommodate children aged 2.5 years up to the age of 4, when compulsory education begins. For more information regarding compulsory education attendance in pre-primary school (nipiagogeio) from the age of 4, see "Admission requirements and choice of ECEC setting".
• Infant care and infant/child care centres accommodate infants aged 2 months, subject to certain conditions, up to the age of 4.

In particular, under this Regulation, infants and children enrolled at infant care, infant/child care and child care centres come primarily from the respective municipality area, not excluding the case of children living in the immediate vicinity, where enrollment is possible due to vacancies or due to acute social need of parents.  These cases are justified in the decision of the Board of Directors of the infant care/ child care centre.

Children may be transported to the municipality care centres, provided that the latter provide their own means of transport and abide by the rules of safety.  For infants, transfer may be assigned to a special escort, or to members of the pedagogical staff, in rotation.  The cost of transportation is determined by the Board of Directors of the Municipal infant care, infant/child care or child care centre and may be covered by an additional contribution of parents, depending on their financial ability, irrespective from the normal parental contribution (fee).

In addition, there are private pre-school education and care settings (profit-or non-profit-making), as well as part-time childcare settings for infants or/and children and infant/child care centres providing integrated care operating within the competence of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Joint Ministerial Decision 41087/29-11-2017).

Admission requirements and choice of ECEC institution

Compulsory education in Greece has recently become a two- year period, starting at the age of 4 years in pre-primary school (nipiagogeio) (Law 4521/2018).  The implementation of this framework started during school year 2018-19 in 184 municipalities of the country; it is currently extended to more municipalities and it will become fully implemented at national level in the next school year 2020-21 (Joint Ministerial Decision 127860/D1/13-8-19).

Pre-school education in nipiagogeio is part of primary education (Law 1566/1985) and is presented in detail in Chapter 5.

All children coming from a respective Municipality have the right to enrol at child care and infant/child care centres.

Infant/child care centres admit infants from the age of 2 months, on certain conditions; otherwise, they accept infants from the age of 6 months 

Child care centres admit children from the age of 2.5 years.

Upon enrolment, working parents' children and/or children coming from economically weak families are selected, showing preference to children in need of care by virtue of various social causes (such as double or single orphans, children of unwed mothers, divorced or separated parents, children born to parents with a physical or mental disability, multi-member families etc.).

The selection criteria of hosted infants and children as well as their priority points may be specified by the Municipality Council of the relevant centre, following its reasoned opinion.

In case parents’ application for their children’s admission to municipal infant/child care and child care centres is rejected, they have the right of appeal against decisions on their priority points, based on specific procedures defined at municipality level.

Age levels and grouping of children

Infants/children are enrolled as follows:

1.At infant care centres (vrefikoi stathmoi), infants at 2 months, subject to certain requirements, otherwise, infants at 6 months up to age 2.5

2. At infant/child care centres (vrefonipiakoi stathmoi), infants at 2 months, subject to certain requirements, otherwise, infants at 6 months up to their compulsory pre-primary school age

3. At child care centres (paidikoi stathmoi), children aged 2.5 up to their compulsory pre-primary school age.

In municipalities where two-year compulsory pre-school education is not yet implemented, infants/children may attend infant/child care and child care centres up to age 5.

Infant classes are structured according to age:

• 2 month-old infants up to age 1.5 
• 1.5-year-olds up to age 2.5

Child care centres, respectively, are structured in the following classes:

• 2.5-year-olds up to age 3.5
• 3.5-year-olds up to their compulsory pre-primary school age.

All infant/child care centres are structured accordingly.

Infant sections host 12 babies, being attended by two childcare core practitioners and one assistant.

Child sections host up to 25 children with one childcare core practitioner and one assistant, and in any case with the pedagogical personnel provided thereof.

No special provision in legislation exists regarding the prohibition or obligation of the above-mentioned staff to stay with the same group or class for several years.

As far as the private settings providing early childhood education and care are concerned, there is a differentiation regarding the number of infants/children hosted, taking into account the proper and sustainable functioning of each setting (Ministerial Decision D22/11828/293/2017).

The number of infants/children hosted should not be smaller than:

1. 10 infants in case of an infant care centre
2. 15 children in case of a child care centre
3. 6 infants and 15 children in case of infant/child care centres
4. 6 infants and/or 15 children in case of part-time childcare settings for infants and/or children.

Moreover, regarding the above-mentioned settings, enrolment may exceed their initial capacity by 10%.

Organisation of time

As defined in the “Standard regulation of operation for child care, infant care and infant/child care centres", the operation of these settings begins on 1 September and ends on 31 July of the following year (Monday to Friday).  In other words, these care centres operate around 220 days per year. 

In areas where employment of working mothers reaches its peak in the summer period, the care centre may operate during August and discontinue its operation for a month in June or July.  The care centres remain closed from December 24 until January 5 and from Holy Thursday until the first Sunday after Easter Sunday. 

The care centres do not operate during the official holidays of public services and local anniversaries.  The operation of infant care, infant/child care and child care centres falls under the Municipalities’ competence  (Law 3463/2006, as being in force). 

Organisation of the day and week

According to the "Standard regulation of operation for child care and infant/child care centres", care centres operate from Monday to Friday.  Even though it is flexible, the basic points in the timetable are being adhered to (arrival and leaving time, time of meals, rest and break).  Care centres open at 7.00 am during the winter schedule and at 6.45 am during the summer schedule and close at 16.00pm. 

It is possible to extend a care centre’s working hours by the competent  Municipality Council’s decision, provided it is served by the personnel required.

A typical schedule of infants’/children’s activities is the following:

The above schedule is adapted to the needs of each age group.

As far as the private settings providing early childhood education and care are concerned, it is foreseen they have the obligation to carry out daily schedules aimed at the children’s care, entertainment and education, which should be supervised by the state’s competent authorities for their pedagogical content (Ministerial Decision D22/11828/293/2017).