Admission requirements and choice of ECEC setting

Admission requirements

Childcare at crèches and day-care provider settings (home-based provision) are available to children aged at least 20 weeks, and kids’ clubs to children aged at least 1 year. Children can attend those settings until the end of the school year in which they reach the age of 3 years; where it is not possible or difficult for the child to participate in preschool education, the age limit is 4 years.

The Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children aged up to 3 years (ustawa o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3) does not specify conditions, except for age, for enrolling children in crèches (żłobek), kids’ clubs (klub dziecięcy) or day-care provider (opiekun dzienny) settings.

An entity that has established a crèche or kids’ club adopts its own statutes, which lay down admissions criteria or conditions, including priority given to large families with many children and to children with disabilities. The statutes also specify criteria which determine priorities for admission to a crèche or kids’ club. These can include, for example, the following:

• a single parent’s child;

• a child from a large family;

• a child with a disability certificate;

• a child from a foster family;

• a child of parents with disabilities.

Compliance with requirements for compulsory childhood vaccinations is an additional criterion in some communes.

Choice of a setting

Priority in admission to a crèche is given to children of working parents who live within the territory of a given commune. Considering the limited number of available places, crèches and kids’ clubs give priority to children of working parents and, for example, children whose parents are returning to the labour market after maternity/parental leave, are unemployed or are economically inactive. As the network of institutions is relatively small, parents do not have a wide range of options available. Not infrequently, they may have no choice other than to apply for a place in a crèche or kids’ club located far from their home.

Group size and child–staff ratios

The maximum number of children per childminder in a crèche or kids’ club is 8. However, the maximum number is 5 when a group includes a child with a disability, a child requiring special care or a child under 1 year of age.

Crèches with more than 20 children employ at least one nurse or midwife. Crèches and kids’ clubs may have volunteers supporting the provision of childcare. Volunteers who do not have the necessary qualifications are required to complete 40 hours of training in baby/child first aid.

A day-care provider may take care of up to 5 children (up to 8 children in exceptional cases).  However, the maximum number is 3 when a group includes a child who is under 1 year of age, has a disability or requires special care.

Annual, weekly and daily organisation

The Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care of Children aged up to 3 years does not specify the number of working hours per week for childcare institutions.

Working hours in crèches and kids’ clubs are set in their organisational regulations, taking into account parents’ preferences. Crèches and kids’ clubs provide care for up to 10 hours per day. In special cases, at parental request, the duration of the stay can be extended for an additional fee. 

For a day-care provider (home-based provision), working hours are set in an agreement between the provider and the employing entity. Establishing a day-care provider setting does not require as much funding as, for example, a crèche or a kids’ club. Care is provided in a home-like setting, and working hours are better adjusted to parents’ working hours. A day-care provider is a childcare setting intended for a small number of children. This form of centre-based childcare is particularly suitable for small rural communes, where there is no need to set up a crèche or a kids’ club for a small number of children of the crèche age. 

In 2022, the largest proportion of crèches (59%) were open for 7 to 10 hours per day. Institutions which were open for more than 10 hours represented around 40%. Most kids’ clubs (75.8%) worked for 7 to 10 hours a day, and a smaller number for more than 10 hours (16.6%). (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 2022) (text in Polish)

Since 2021, entities which administer crèches or kids’ clubs or employ a day-care provider and self-employed individuals have been required to submit reports on the care for children aged up to 3 years.