Admission requirements and choice of ECEC setting

Parents or guardians of children aged 0-3 years can choose among private and public ECEC providers. Their children are accepted according to the facility's available places. Providers may set their own admission criteria, for instance the child's commune of residence. Communal crèches often give priority access to the children residing in the commune. Parents or guardians enrol their children directly with the service.

From the age of 3 years, children have an enforceable right to attend elementary school in their commune of residence. The parents or guardians of school-aged children (aged 4 years) are free to enrol their child in a different school from that reserved for them by the municipality of residence. However, they have to inform the communal administration of their choice.

To enrol their child in a school in another commune, parents or guardians must send a reasoned request to the mayor of that commune before 15 May of the year preceding the start of the school year.

They must specify valid reasons, such as:

• care of the child by a member of the family (up to and including the 3rd degree of kinship) ;
• care of the child by a third person active in a parental assistance activity accredited by the state ;
• childcare by a state-approved organisation active in the socioeducational field ;
• location of the workplace of one of the two parents (condition not taken into account by some municipalities, in particular the City of Luxembourg).

Parents or guardians also have the possibility of registering their child in a private school, a European school or a school abroad.

In exceptional cases, education may take place at the child's home.

Group size and child-staff ratios

Collective childcare facilities

Providers of ECEC services are bound by the terms and conditions of their ministerial accreditation as set out in the amended Grand-Ducal Regulation of 14 November 2013 (règlement grand-ducal modifié du 14 novembre 2013). These conditions include, among other requirements, the ratio of children per childcare worker.

The maximum number of children a childcare worker can care for is determined according to the children's age group.

Early and pre-school education

Source: European Commission / EACEA / Eurydice, Key data on early childhood education and care in Europe – 2019 edition, p. 154.

Annual, weekly and daily organisation

Collective childcare facilities

Under the terms of Article 3 of the amended Grand-Ducal Regulation of 14 November 2013 (règlement grand-ducal modifié du 14 novembre 2013), the provision of ECEC services in centres must cover at least 46 weeks per year.

Each establishment is free to determine its own opening hours, which must be between 5.00 and 23.00. The establishment may exceptionally offer a stay of a maximum of 2 nights including accommodation within the framework of its activities.

The directory of ECEC centres on the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth's website locates ECEC providers on a map and includes some additional information on their activities.

Early and preschool education

In the first year of elementary school cycle 1 (early education), pupil enrolment is based on a specified number of half-days to be spent at school. Pupils may choose a minimum of three and a maximum of eight (five mornings and three afternoons) half-day periods per week (see Enseignement fondamental : Statistiques globales et analyse des résultats scolaires 2019-2020, p. 29).

The weekly and daily organisation in the two pre-school years of elementary school cycle 1 largely correspond to the timetables of primary education.