Children can start attending Childcare Centres from when they are around three months old until they reach the age of 3. Childcare centres have no admission criteria, anyone can enrol. Parental choice is entirely unrestricted except when a Childcare is fully booked. Parents’ choice of Childcare Centres is usually determined by several factors including vicinity to the home or workplace, opening and closing hours, pedagogy employed by the centre or simply positive recommendations. Parents can choose their preferred day-care facility whether state or independent. The Free Childcare Scheme applies equally to all sectors.

Childcare Centres provide a safe environment where children learn through play. All learning experiences provided are aimed at sustaining children's holistic development. In fact, training for Childcare prioritises holistic development above all other concerns. The Government invests in capacity building and upskilling of professionals working in the childcare sector. To this end, the Institute for Education has developed an Award of 30 ECTS at MQF level 3 in Assisting the Childcare Educator in relation to training activities within the childcare sector.

The National Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care Services (0-3 Years) require that Childcare Educators hold an MQF Level 4 (60 ECTS) qualification in early childhood education and care. The child to Childcare Educator ratio is established as follows, one Childcare Educator for up to three babies under the age of 12 months, one Childcare Educator per five children aged between 13 and 24 months, and one Childcare Educator per six children aged between 25 and 36 months. It is also established that one carer supervises up to six children in a group of different ages however only one child can be under the age of eighteen months in such group.  The ratios change as indicated below when there are Assistants to the Childcare Educators employed. 

Kindergarten Settings 

Educators at kindergarten level are known as Kindergarten Educators (KGEs). The minimum qualification to be able to apply for the role of Kindergarten Educator is that of an MQF Level 5 in Early Childhood Education and Care at 30 ECTS credits (ISCED 5). The Government invests significantly in capacity building and upskilling of professionals working in kindergarten settings. To this end, MCAST offers a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Years, an Award in the Creativity in the Early Years, an Award in Children's Care, Learning and Development, a Higher Diploma in Advanced Studies in the Early Years, and an Advanced Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Development.  The University of Malta offers a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care as well as a Master of Education in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Additionally, several local private providers deliver similar training accredited by the MFHEA (Malta Further and Higher Education Authority). 

There are no teacher assistants in the Maltese education system although most classes include Learning Support Educators who are assigned to support specific pupils with a disability, communication or learning difficulty and who hold a formal statement of needs. The minimum qualification of a Learning Support Educator consists of MQF Level 5 certificate (ISCED 5) of 30 ECTS credits. Class Support Learning Support Educators have been introduced in Kinder 1 since October 2019.  These are assigned to Kinder 1 classes either when the class size exceeds 12 learners or when there are 3 students with a statement of needs saying that they require Class Support. In such cases Class Support is assigned irrespective of class size. This support system runs parallel to the system that assigns 1-to-1 Learning Support Educators to those children who require such specialised support. 

As per Agreement between the Government of Malta and the Malta Union of Teachers, (2017), staff to child ratios in Kindergartens are as follows: 

1.  Kinder 1 classes:  for children ages 3 to 4 - a maximum of 14 pupils per class. This goes down to 12 students if the group includes a pupil with a statement of needs. 

2.  Kindergarten 2 classes:  for children aged 4 to 5 - a maximum of 19 pupils per class, reduced to 16 if the group includes a child with a statement of needs.

3.  In the event of joined classes due to limited physical space (two groups in one classroom), children cannot exceed 22 pupils for Kinder 1, and 30 students for Kinder 2.

The 13 Childcare Centres run by the state, through the Foundation for Education Services, operate between 5:30pm and 4:00pm or between 6:00am to 6:00pm. A small number of childcare centres are run by state funded public entities, these include, Jobsplus, the University of Malta, MCAST, and the Water Services Corporation. They all operate based on their individual policies in line with the National Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care Services (0-3 Years). All the remaining Childcare Centres are privately owned.  Each centre is independent and chooses its own opening and closing times. Private Childcare Centres generally open at about 7.00am and close around 5:00pm. Most Childcare Centres offer a service from Monday to Friday excluding national and public holidays. These centres are open during the summer period and Christmas holidays. A number of centres are also open during weekends. Childcare Centres follow a learning-through-play approach and employ a flexible daily routine which can change depending on the interests of children.