ECEC place guarantee

ECEC for children under 3 years old

There is no legal guarantee to a place in early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children under the age of three and demand still outstrips supply.

One in two children under the age of three are enrolled in ECEC settings. Provision has increased considerably in recent years, particularly in terms of crèches. 

In 2023, crèches network coverage for children up to three years old was 55.2% (Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento (GEP)/Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS) - Carta Social 2023) in mainland Portugal, against 32.7% in 2009. This coverage rate for early childhood social responses has risen by approximate 4.1 percentage points compared to 2022, surpassing the current Barcelona target of 45.0% by 2030. That said, coverage is uneven throughout the country. Following the trend of previous years, the supply levels of districts such as Lisbon (50.4%), Setúbal (47.5%) and Porto (42.5%) do not meet the needs of the resident population, although all of them have seen an increase in their respective rates, when compared to 2022.

To a large extent, increases to the average coverage rate reflects the changes to crèche response instituted by Ordinance No. 190-A/2023, 5 July, which establishes the rules regulating of crèches and which resulted in more places. In mainland Portugal, the average utilisation rate of crèches and childminders in 2023 was 87.3% of the total number of places for children under 3. In 2023, 114 202 children attended ECEP centres.

Under the "Happy Creche" programme, which was promoted by the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS), children born on or after 1 September, 2021 are guaranteed free attendance and childminding, including food, hygiene, learning, play and motor skills activities, registration, insurance and extended hours. This measure has been gradually rolled out and, since 2024, all children up to the age of 3 who enter the first year of nursery school or go on to the 2nd and 3rd year are entitled to free early childhood education and care attendance, regardless of the type of provider (Law No. 2/2022 3 September 2022). Law No. 2/2022, 3 January, Ministerial Order No. 198/2022, 27 July, Ordinance No. 304/2022, 22 December, Ordinance No. 305/2022, 22 December, Ordinance No. 426/2023, 11 December). 

ECEC for children aged 3 years and over

Pre-primary education is designed for children from the age of three. The Portuguese authorities guarantee access to pre-primary school for children from the age of three, for the last two years of ECEC (ISCED 020). That said,  in some urban areas, demand often outstrips supply, leaving few places available. The legal entitlement to ECEC was extended to the age of three by Legislative Order No 6/2018, 12 April, in updated wording and republished by Legislative Order No 10-B/2021, 14 April), which states that "attending pre-school education is optional and designed primarily for those children between three years old and the age pupils start the 1st cycle of basic education". 

According to Law No. 5/97, 10 February, it is the state's responsibility to contribute to making pre-school education widespread. In 2015, Law No 22/2025, 4 March enshrined the universality of pre-school education for all children, from the year they reach the age of 3. This universality implies that the state has a duty to provide a pre-school education network that allows all the children entitled to it can enrol and attend free of charge.

Currently, Portugal is making major efforts to provide enough places for the last three years of ECEC in all areas of the country, guaranteeing universal pre-primary education in line with the law.

In 2022/2023, pre-primary attendance rates in Portugal were the following:

• 83.0% at three years old
• 96.8% at four years old
• 99.8% at five years old.

(Source: Educação em Números - Portugal 2024, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência [DGEEC]).

Affordability

ECEC for children under 3 years old

From 2024, all children up to the age of 3 enrolled in creches have the right to free attendance, regardless of the type of provider (Ordinance No. 426/2023, 11 December). This will accompany the child for as long as they attend the crèche or are in the care of a childminder.

The private not-for-profit and for-profit sectors constitute the main education and care providers for children under three years old.

In 2023, there were 2 587 crèches in mainland Portugal, 76.2% of those were owned by not-for-profit bodies, which were part of the solidarity network in terms of early childhood care. Only the districts of Setúbal (45.7%), Lisbon (38.7%) and Porto (33.7%) registered private for-profit crèches shares above 30%. As such, only 23.8% of children attended private crèches in the for-profit sector in 2023 (Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento (GEP)/Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security [MTSSS], Carta Social 2023). 

The total amount of the fees is not regulated, but there is a fixed state contribution for each child.  In terms of free attendance (Happy Creche measure), the state’s contribution per child to providers was €460 in 2023, having been updated to €473 in 2024.
 

Law No. 2/2022, 3 January established the gradual extension of free places for all children attending crèches managed by private not-for-profit institutions (IPSS and other legally equivalent institutions) with a cooperation agreement with the MTSSS, as well as in childminders managed by the ISS, I. P.

Since June 2024, assessing the lack of places has been at parish level (Ordinance No. 158/2024/1, 6 June).

ECEC for children aged 3 years and over

The public and private not-for-profit pre-primary schools that children attend from age three are free of charge for 25 hours a week. Parents’ and guardians’ contributions to the cost of family support services (which includes lunch and extra hours after the teaching component) in pre-primary settings is regulated by Joint Order No. 300/97, 4 September. Subsidies are established annually via specific legislation and families’ contributions are calculated according to income.

To ensure that the daily five-hour teaching component (i.e., 25 hours a week) ministered by pre-primary teachers is free, there has been a strategy of consolidating partnerships via cooperation protocols between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI), the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS), the Private Institution of Social Solidarity Union (UIPSS),  Portuguese Charities Union (UMP) and the Portuguese Mutual Societies Union. As such, children who attend both the public network and publicly funded ECEC (IPSS) are entitled to education and access to out of hours provision and family support, providing meals and an extended timetable beyond the five daily teaching hours (Article 16, Pre-Primary Education Framework Law, Article 12 of Law No. 5/97, 10 February).

Once financial support is established, agreements can be signed between the state and institutions, in the case of the private not-for-profit network, and between these and the local authorities, in the case of the public network. In most cases, the transport of children (family home) is paid for by the local authorities. The costs families incur with ECEC fees for children of all ages are tax deductible.

On the private for-profit network (private and cooperative institutions) families pay a monthly fee, although they may receive financial help, depending on family support contracts and their income. In some for-profit private institutions, families pay a monthly fee without any financial help from the State (i.e. these are fully independent institutions).

IIn the 2022/2023 school year, from a total of 265 025 children enrolled in pre-primary education, 144 363 (54.5%) were attending the public network; 120 662 (45.5%) children were enrolled in private, pre-primary, for-profit schools. These percentages are identical to those registered in previous school years.

This means that although most children in pre-primary education are enrolled in public network, the private network, particularly government-dependent private network formed by the IPSS, assume a relevant weight in the provision for this level of education. 

Pre-school education – Children enrolled, by age, network and nature of educational institution – Portugal (2022/23)

Source: Estatísticas da Educação 2022/23, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).

Children enrolled in pre-school education, according to the nature of the establishment, by NUTS II

Source: Perfil do Aluno: continente 2022/23, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).

Children enrolled in pre-school education, by type of establishment and age

Source: Perfil do Aluno: Continente 2022/23, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).

For more detailed information regarding the distribution of children in state-dependent private kindergartens and independent private kindergartens, see Pupil Profile: Perfil do Aluno: Continente 2022/23 (DGEEC)  and Estatísticas da Educação 2022/23, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).

See additional information in Subchapter 3.1 - Funding pre-school and school education.