Organisation of Programmes for Children under 2-3 years

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children aged up to 3 years is a statutory task of the commune (gmina) (the lowest-level local government unit). ECEC for children aged up to 3 may be provided by a crèche or kids club or by a day-care provider / child minder or nanny. Each of these settings has its own specific features and caters to different needs of parents.

Institutions

Crèche (żłobek)

A crèche is the basic care setting for children up to 3 years of age. It provides care to children aged 20 weeks and above till the end of the school year in which the child reaches the age of 3 (or 4 in exceptional cases). Care in a crèche is available for up to 10 hours per day for each child (the duration can be extended where justified, at the parents’ request and for an additional fee). In particular:

As part of their tasks, crèches should provide proper nursing and educational care by organising play-based activities with learning / educational elements which cater to individual needs of children. They should also organise care-and-education and learning activities which are suitable for children’s age and stage of psychomotor development. Though learning activities are organised, there is no core curriculum for crèches.

One child minder in a crèche may take care of a maximum of 8 children. The maximum number of children is 5 if the group includes a disabled child, a child requiring special care or a child who has not reached the age of 1.

Additionally, at least one nurse or midwife is employed at a crèche attended by more than 20 children.

Kids club (klub dziecięcy)

A kids club provides care to children from the age of 1 till the end of the school year when the child reaches the age of 3, or the age of 4 if it is difficult or not possible for the child to participate in preschool education.

A kids club provides care for a maximum of 10 hours per day for each child[2]. It may be attended by up to 30 children.

A day-care provider / child minder (opiekun dzienny)

A day-care provider / child minder is a natural person who takes care of children aged 20 weeks and above until the end of the school year in which the child reaches the age of 3 (4 in exceptional cases) and is hired, on the basis of a service agreement, by a commune, legal person or another entity which is not a legal person. With all parents’ consent, a day-care provider may take care of up to 8 children; for a group which includes a child who has not reached the age of 1, is disabled or requires special care, the maximum number of children is 5 if at least one of the parents takes care of children jointly with a day-care provider.

A nanny (niania)

A nanny provides individual care to children aged 20 weeks and above till the end of the school year in which the child reaches the age of 3. Nannies are hired by children’s parents, based on a civil law contract.

Crèches and kids clubs can be administered by communes, natural persons, legal persons and other entities which are not legal persons. The commune establishes crèches and kids clubs as public sector units at the commune level or can delegate the responsibility for their administration to other institutions, selected through an open competition.

The post of head in crèches may be held by persons who have a higher education qualification (degree) and at least 3-year experience of work with children or who have at least an upper secondary qualification and 5-year experience of work with children.

A child minder in a crèche or kids club is required to:

hold the qualification of a nurse, midwife, child minder, preschool teacher, early school education teacher or care-and-upbringing specialist; or
hold an upper secondary qualification and have at least 2-year experience of work with children aged up to 3 years or have completed 280-hour training, including at least 80 hours of practical training (work with children).

The minimum qualification requirements for day-care providers:

If they did not work with children aged up to 3 years for at least 12 months directly preceding their employment as a day-care provider, they are required to complete 160-hour training.
If they hold the qualification of a nurse, midwife, child minder, preschool teacher, preschool education teacher or care-and-upbringing specialist, they are required to complete 40-hour supplementary training, including training in first aid for children.

Staff taking care of children in a crèche or kids club may be supported by volunteers. Before taking up such an assignment, volunteers should complete training in first aid for children (except where a volunteer has qualifications required of a child minder / day-care provider).

A child minder and a volunteer are required to undertake training in first aid for children every 2 years. Such training is provided on a fee-free basis by an entity which administers a given crèche or kids club.

Geographical accessibility

A low number of crèches in comparison with the demand is the main obstacle in access to services. The number of places in crèches is determined by local authorities as it is their task to establish and administer such institutions. Changes introduced since 2011 in care for children aged 3 and below aim to provide conditions for the development of various care settings and improve their quality. Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of care institutions for small children. However, the demand for places is not fulfilled yet.

At the end of 2017 (data from a report of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy), childcare institutions (crèches, kids clubs and day-care providers) were already available in 805 communes, i.e. 32% of all communes in Poland (722 communes, i.e. 29% at the end of 2016), including 268 rural communes, i.e. 17% of all rural communes (221, i.e. 14% of all rural communes at the end of 2016).

Table 1. Number of institutions and places for children aged up to 3 years, 2011-2017

Year	Number of institutions				Number of places
Year	Total	Crèches	Kids’ clubs	Day-care providers	Total	Crèches	Kids’ clubs	Day-care providers
2011	571	523	48	0	32 053	31 844	209	0
2012	926	791	105	30	39 967	39 236	652	79
2013	1 511	1 243	212	56	56 042	53 032	2 890	120
2014	2 493	1 667	384	442	71 386	65 081	5 764	541
2015	2 990	1 967	453	570	83 960	75 756	7 389	815
2016	3 451	2 272	515	664	95 419	86 185	8 332	902
2017	4 271	2 616	629	1 026	111 348	99 255	10 756	1 337

Source: Activity-and-financial reports on care for children aged up to 3 years, 2011-2017. The 2011 and 2012 reports do not include the number of places in non-public settings (based on the Report of the Council of Ministers on the implementation of the Act of 4 February 2011 on Care for Children up to the age of 3 in 2017).

In 2017, the number of care institutions for children aged up to 3 years grew by around 24%. At the end of 2017, there were 4,271 institutions (3,451 at the end of 2016), including:

2,616 crèches (2,272 in 2016),
629 kids clubs (515 in 2016), and
1,026 day-care providers (664 in 2016).

There was also an increase in the number of care institutions in rural communes. In 2017, they had 567 institutions (445 in 2016), including:

316 crèches (266 in 2016),
103 kids clubs (82 in 2016), and
148 day-care providers (97 in 2016).

In 2017 childcare institutions (crèches, kids clubs and day-care providers) offered jointly 111,100 places, including around 9,600 places in rural areas, as compared to around 95,400 places and 7,000 places, respectively, in 2016. Like in the previous years, crèches had the largest number of places for children aged up to 3 years (around 90% of all places).

At the end of 2017, about 8,500 persons employed as nannies were registered in the national social security system (8,400 in 2016). An overwhelming majority (around 8,200, i.e. around 97%) were women.

Expenditure

The year 2017 saw an increase in the expenditure on the care system for children aged up to 3 years. The total expenditure rose from 931.3 mln PLN in 2016 to 1,088 mln PLN (an increase by 17%), including 1,053,7 mln PLN on crèches, 23.4 mln PLN on kids clubs and 10.9 mln PLN on day-care providers. In 2016, the expenditure amounted to 902.9 mln PLN on crèches, 18.8 mln on kids clubs and 9.6 mln on day-care providers. The State budget provided 117.4 mln PLN as part of a ministerial programme, ‘TODDLER PLUS’, for the development of care institutions for children aged up to 3 years, which represented around 11% of the total expenditure (151 mln in 2016). The State budget also pays social security and health insurance contributions for nannies.

Enrolment

Based on the comparative data for the years 2010-2016 from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, the proportion of children aged 0-3 enrolled in childcare institutions was 2.6% in 2010, 4.5% in 2012, 5.7% in 2013, 7.1% in 2014, and 8.3% in 2015. In 2016, as expected, the proportion increased to 9.3%. In 2017, the proportion of children aged 0 to 3 years enrolled in childcare institutions was 10.4%, i.e. by 0.2% lower than expected[3]. The figure is expected to grow to 13.1% in 2018.

Children aged over 2 years to 3 years were the largest group among those enrolled[4], representing, like between 2012 and 2016, more than half (about 53%) of all children cared for in crèches and kids clubs and by day-care providers. The proportion of children aged over 1 year to 2 years increased by 3% from around 40% in 2016 to around 43% in 2017. Children aged below 1 year (2%) and over 3 years (around 3%) were the smallest group. It should be noted, however, that pursuant to the above-mentioned Act, children below 1 year of age may not be enrolled in kids clubs, which has impact on this age group as a proportion of all children in various childcare settings.

Children aged 1 to 3 years who were provided so-called crèche care[5] represented 13.9% in 2016 and 16.0% in 2017. It is estimated that the percentage will reach 19.5% in 2018.

‘The measures for the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development[6], which is Poland’s key document on sustainable development, sets a benchmark for children aged up to 3 years in various institutional childcare settings. By 2030, institutional care should be provided to 33% of children aged 1 to 3 years.

Disabled children and children requiring special care represented about 1% of all children cared for in crèches and kids clubs and by day-care providers.

Changes in the early childhood education and care system for children aged up to 3 years

In order to make it easier to establish and operate care institutions for children aged up to 3 years, work was undertaken at the turn of 2016 and 2017 to amend the Act on Care for Children up to the age of 3. Changes aim to increase the number of places available in crèches and kids clubs and lower fees for the stay of children at these institutions, while ensuring that this does not impair the quality of care provided.

Based on the Act of 7 July 2017 amending some Acts relating to the family support systems, a number of changes were introduced as from 1 January 2018 by the amended Act of 4 February 2011 on Care for Children up to the age of 3.

The changes are intended to lower the operating costs of childcare institutions and, consequently, fees charged for care so as to enable parents to reconcile work and family responsibilities. They are also aimed at increasing the number of places available in crèches or kids clubs and lower fees for the stay of children at these institutions, while ensuring that this does not impair the quality of care provided.

The main arrangements put in place by the above-mentioned amendments to the legislation are as follows:

State-budget expenditure has been increased from the current level of 151 mln PLN to 500 mln PLN to support the development of crèches, kids clubs and day-care provider settings. The amount includes 250 mln from the State budget and up to 250 mln from the Labour Fund. Funds are used for an employment support programme for people who have to give up employment in order to take care of children aged up to 3 years as suitable childcare institutions are not available. Funding has been allocated, in particular, to communes in the districts with high unemployment rates. The programme is targeted primarily at women with children of up to 3 years of age and aims to increase the number of childcare institutions within a given area.
The requirement to have at least two rooms for children’s stay in a crèche has been waived.
The duration of day care in kids clubs has been extended from 5 to 10 hours (as in crèches), with a limit of places available set at the same time to make kids clubs smaller and cosier than crèches.
Crèches and kids clubs have been exempted from paying charges for real estate owned by the State Treasury and local government units, and from real estate taxes.
The range of entities that may establish crèches and kids clubs and employ day-care providers has been extended (entities other than local government units and public institutions; possibility for natural persons to employ child minders, and for day-care providers to offer services on a self-employment basis).
In order to increase children’s safety in crèches and kids clubs, the amended regulations have introduced a requirement to conform to nutrition norms (established by the National Food and Nutrition Institute); a requirement for child minders and volunteers to complete regular training in first aid; and the possibility for parents to set up a parents’ council. The council has access to crèche premises and documentation concerning meals for children, and the right to present and discuss proposals for activities organised in these institutions.
In order to make it easier for parents to find a suitable childcare institution for children aged up to 3 years, the range of information available in the Register of Crèches and Kids Clubs and the Register of Day-Care Providers (child minders) and Employing Entities has been extended. It includes, for example, working hours; level of fees; number of children enrolled; contact details (email address and telephone number); information on whether a crèche or kids club is adapted to the needs of disabled children or children requiring special care.

The TODDLER PLUS (MALUCH PLUS) Programme

The Programme (formerly Toddler, currently Toddler Plus) has been implemented by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, in collaboration with province governors (wojewoda), on an annual basis, since 2011. Announcements are published on the Ministry’s website. The Programme is designed to carry out the Government’s family policy to support families in providing care to small children by:

providing conditions for the development of various care-and-education settings for children aged up to 3 years;
improving standards for the functioning of care institutions for small children; and
supporting local government units in the establishment of care-and-education institutions for small children, in line with the needs of local communities.

As an innovation in Toddler Plus which contributed to an increasing number of new places in 2017, entities other than communes (gmina) (the lowest level local government units) became eligible to apply for financial support to create new childcare places[7], and not only to maintain existing places as in the previous rounds of the Programme. Thanks to changes in the scope of the Toddler Plus Programme, 8,067 new childcare places were created in 2017, as compared to around 3,000 places created on average each year as part of the Programme between 2011 and 2015. The number of places rose (more than 2.6-fold increase) mainly as a result of financial support provided to entities other than communes which created 57% of all new places. At the same time, 40,568 children received support as part of the Programme for stay in childcare institutions.

The Programme included 4 modules:

Module 1 for communes to create new places in 2017 and maintain them.
Module 2 for communes to maintain places created by communes with support from the Toddler Plus Programme; for entities other than communes to maintain places created by such entities, on condition that they reduced the fee charged from parents by the amount of the grant awarded.
Module 3: for higher education institutions and entities collaborating with them to create in 2017 new places for children of students, doctoral students and staff employed by higher education institutions or institutions providing services to them, on condition that they reduced the fee charged from parents by the amount of the grant awarded.
Module 4: for entities other than communes to create in 2017 and maintain new places, on condition that they reduced the fee charged from parents by the amount of the grant awarded.

In 2017, the Toddler Plus Programme was allocated 151 mln PLN[8], including:

Module 1: around 46.5 mln PLN;
Module 2: around 68.7 mln PLN (around 21 mln for communes, and around 47.7 mln for other entities);
Module 3: around 2.4 mln PLN;
Module 4: around 33.4 mln PLN.

Under Module 1, 103 bids to create 4,660 childcare places were accepted. Ultimately, 74 communes created 3,449 new places. Most places, i.e. 95%, were created in crèches. The grant actually used represented around 74% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

As part of Module 2, bids involving 391 childcare institutions were received from 236 communes, and 961 bids involving 1,461 institutions from entitles other than communes. Financial support was sought for the maintenance of 42,900 places, including 12,600 in commune-administered institutions and 30,300 in institutions administered by other entities. Financial support was provided for a total of 40,400 childcare places, most of them in crèches. The grant actually used represented around 88% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

Under Module 3, funding was awarded for bids concerning 447 places which were submitted by 11 higher education institutions and collaborating entities (from 10 communes). Ultimately, 432 places were created, and 207 children received support for their stay at a childcare institution. The grant actually used represented around 62% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

As part of Module 4, bids for the creation of 6,954 places were received from entities based in 159 communes. Ultimately, non-public entities based in 135 communes created 4,186 new places. Most places, i.e. 75%, were created in crèches. The grant actually used represented around 62% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

Furthermore, in 2017, a Call was published as part of a special round of the ministerial programme for the development of care institutions for children aged up to 3 years (2017 Toddler Plus). This special ‘For Life’ round aimed to support the development of, and improve access to, crèches and kids clubs for children with disabilities and special care needs. The legal basis for the special ‘For Life’ scheme was provided by the Programme for comprehensive family support, ‘For Life; Priority III: Early support for the development of the child and family; Activity 2.5: Financial support for the maintenance of care places for children up to 3 years of age holding a disability certificate or requiring special care.

The programme comprised 3 modules:

Module 1: creation of new places in childcare institutions for children with disabilities and special care needs;
Module 2: adaptation of existing places in childcare institutions for children with disabilities and special care needs (except for places created under the 2017 Toddler Plus Programme);
Module 3: maintenance of places for children of the target group (places created or adapted for the needs of children of the target group as part of the special round of the Programme or other funding sources, regardless of the time when they were created or adapted).

The special round of the Programme was allocated 15 mln PLN, an amount which had not been used as part of the main Call under the Programme. The following amounts were distributed under the special Call:

Module 1: around 1.13 mln PLN;
Module 2: around 2.11 mln PLN;
Module 3: around 0.96 mln PLN.

Under Module 1, bids for the creation of 80 new places were received from 6 communes. Ultimately, 5 communes created 77 new places for children with disabilities and special care needs. The grant actually used represented around 94% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

As part of Module 2, bids for the adaptation of 296 places, received from 15 communes, were accepted. Ultimately, 14 communes adapted 266 places for children with disabilities and special care needs. The grant actually used represented around 83% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

Under Module 3, 11 communes submitted bids for 266 places. Ultimately, 10 communes provided support for the maintenance of places for 233 children with disabilities and special care needs. The grant actually used represented around 85% of the grant initially awarded under the Programme.

Since its establishment in 2011, the Toddler Programme has contributed considerably to meeting the demand for places for children aged up to 3 years. It has led to the creation of new childcare places and supported the maintenance of existing ones by contributing towards operational costs and lowering fees paid by parents (as part of Modules 2, 3 and 4). Overall, the number of childcare places increased by 78,800 between 2011 and 2017. Nearly 32% of the places (25,261) were created with support from the Toddler Plus Programme.

EU-funded initiatives under the Operational Programme ‘Knowledge Education Development’Program Operacyjny Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój)

As part of Activity 2.1, ‘Equal opportunities for men and women in all areas, including access to employment, career development, work-life balance’, Priority II, ‘Effective public policies for the labour market, economy and education’, of the Operational Programme ‘Knowledge Education Development’, projects were funded under the following Calls for Proposals in 2017:

Upskilling commune local-government representatives and staff of organisational units responsible for the development of care settings for children aged up to 3 years, in communes with a population of at least 5,000: 4 projects were carried out (1 for the central, eastern, southern and north-western macro-region) for the total amount of 6 mln PLN (8.38 mln PLN allocated under the Call). Training on care settings for children aged up to 3 years was provided to representatives of entities which establish and administer childcare institutions in communes (lowest-level local government units) with more than 5,000 inhabitants (in particular, commune representatives and staff of organisational units responsible for the development of care settings for children aged up to 3 years).

The output indicator (the number of representatives of entities establishing and administering care institutions for children aged up to 3 years who received training on care settings for children aged up to 3 years) achieved until the end of 2017 was 1,237 people (the target value: 3,287 people). One project, with a budget of 765,450 PLN was completed on 31 December 2017.

Upskilling commune local-government representatives and staff of organisational units responsible for the development of care settings for children aged up to 3 years, in communes with a population below 5,000: 4 projects (1 for the central, eastern, southern and north-western macro-region) were funded for the total amount of 3.17 mln PLN (4.415 mln PLN allocated under the Call). Training on care settings for children aged up to 3 years was provided to representatives of entities which establish and administer childcare institutions in communes with less than 5,000 inhabitants (in particular, commune representatives and staff of organisational units responsible for the development of care settings for children aged up to 3 years).

In 2017, 3 of 4 projects in the central, southern and north-western macro-regions were launched, The project in the eastern macro-region started on 1 January 2018.

Upskilling of representatives of entities other than communes which plan to establish and operate a care setting for children aged up to 3 years and are based in communes with a population below 5,000: 4 projects will be carried out (1 for the central, eastern, southern and north-western macro-region). Training on care settings for children aged up to 3 years will be provided to representatives of entities other than communes which intend to establish and administer a care institution for children aged up to 3 years and which are based in communes with a population below 5,000.

The output indicator (the number of representatives of entities establishing and administering care institutions for children aged up to 3 years who will receive training on care settings for children aged up to 3 years) to be achieved is 2,644 people.

An amount of 5.6 mln PLN has been allocated for projects under the Call.

4 projects for a total amount of 4,081,760.12 PLN have been selected for funding (at the end of 2017).

In addition to State-budget support for the establishment of care institutions for children aged up to 3 years, grants for the establishment and/or operation of such institutions are available from the European Social Fund or the European Regional Development Fund as part of Regional Operational Programmes. An amount of MEUR 396.7, i.e. around 1.6 billion PLN, including around 500 mln PLN for 2017, has been allocated for this purpose in the 2014-2020 programming period.

Admission requirements and choice of ECEC institution

The Act on Care for Children up to the age of 3 years does not specify conditions, except for the age, for enrolling children in crèches (żłobek) and kids clubs (klub dziecięcy) or day-care provider (opiekun dzienny) settings. It states, however, that to do so, parents should provide the following data in a statement or certificate to be submitted:

First name and surname, date of birth and personal identification number of the child
Information about a disability certificate (where appropriate)
First names and surnames and personal identification numbers (or dates of birth where a personal tax number is not available) of the parents
Number and age of the child’s siblings
Permanent residence address of the parents and child
Parents’ email address and telephone number (if available)
Parents’ place of employment or school or higher education (where appropriate)
Data about the child’s state of health, diet and psychological and physical development
Parents’ income in case they apply for full or partial exemption from fees (where means-tested).

An entity which has established a crèche or kids club adopts its statutes which specify conditions for the admission of children, including preferences for large families (with many children) and children with disabilities.

In the case a child’s absence, the head of a crèche or kids club may take another child for the period of absence, based on an agreement with his/her parents.

Fees

Parents are required to cover the costs of their children's stay and meals provided in a crèche, kids club or by a day-care provider. The amount of fees for stay in crèches and kids clubs established by local government units and fees for care provided by day-care providers employed by local government units, and the maximum amount to be charged for meals, are determined by the competent local government bodies (the council of the commune (gmina), the council of the district (powiat) or the council of the regional assembly (sejmik wojewódzki)). It can adopt a resolution laying down conditions for full or partial fee waiver. Fees in crèches and kids clubs administered by entities other than local government units are set by the managing bodies of these institutions.

The statutes of a crèche or kids club lay down rules for setting fees for stay and meals during a child’s absence.

Registration of institutions

In the case of entities other than local government units, administering a crèche or kids club is a regulated activity, as defined in theAct of 6 March 2018, The Law for Entrepreneurs (Ustawa Prawo przedsiębiorców). , and requires an entry onto the Register of Crèches and Kids Clubs kept by the commune. Only crèches and kids clubs complying with the standards laid down in the Act on Care for Children up to the age of 3 are entered onto the Register.

The executive body of a commune (mayor of a city / town / wójt, burmistrz or prezydent miasta) keeps a register of day-care providers with whom it has concluded a contract.

Care for children aged up to 3 years is a statutory task of a commune. The legislation specifies two types of statutory tasks for communes: mandatory and optional tasks (the latter performed to the extent allowed by the resources available in the budget and justified by local needs).

Mandatory tasks related to the organisation and provision of care for young children include:

supervising crèches, kids club and day-care providers;
setting the maximum level of fees for children’s stay and meals at a crèche or kids club established by a commune or at a day-care provider setting where a day-care provider is employed by a commune (a resolution adopted by the council of a commune);
keeping a register of crèches and kids clubs;
keeping a register of day-care providers (a task for the executive body of a commune);
preparing activity-and-financial reports on the care for children aged up to 3 years and submitting them to the competent province governor in an electronic format.

Optional tasks related to childcare include:

conducting background checks to verify whether day-care providers employed by a commune fulfil conditions for childcare;
awarding contracts for the provision of childcare;
laying down conditions for partial and full fee waiver (a resolution adopted by the council of a commune);
setting the level and rules for the distribution of, and financial reporting on, a targeted grant for each child in care, awarded to entities administering a crèche or kids club or employing day-care providers (a resolution adopted by the council of a commune).

As part of supervision, the conditions and quality of the care provided by a crèche, kids club or day-care provider are monitored by the executive body of a commune. This is based on a supervision plan adopted by a resolution of the council of the commune. Where irregularities in the organisation or operation of a crèche, kids club or day-care provider setting are reported, the executive body of a commune takes ad-hoc action which is not included in a supervision plan.

The legislation does not specify how often supervisory activities should be undertaken; this is determined by the local government authorities depending on the needs of a commune (a supervision plan adopted by a resolution of the council of a commune) and specific circumstances which occur (the powers of the executive body of a commune include decisions to take measures which extend beyond a supervision plan).

Age levels and grouping of children

The maximum number of children cared for by one person in a crèche and kids club is 8. The number is reduced to 5 where a group includes a disabled child, 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 training in first aid for children.

Organisation of time

Crèches and kids clubs operate in accordance with their statutes. The entity establishing a crèche or kids club adopts its statutes which lay down:

Name and address of the crèche or kids club
Aims, activities and implementation methods, including support for individual development of the child and for the family in raising the child, and with special regard to the type of disability in the case of disabled children
Conditions of admission, including preference given to families with many children and disabled children
Conditions of admission on a temporary basis for places taken by children who are absent due to, for example, longer-term illness, longer trip, etc.
Rules for determining fees for stay and meals in the case of the child’s absence
Rules for parents’ participation in activities carried out in the crèche or kids club.

The internal organisation of a crèche or kids club is laid down in the organisational regulations adopted by the head of the institution. The head is also responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations.

Organisation of the day and week

The Act on Care for Children up to the age of 3 years does not specify the number of working hours per day or week for childcare institutions.

Working hours in crèches and kids clubs are determined 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 parents' request, the duration of the stay can be extended, but an additional fee is charged. In the case of day-care providers, the duration of care services is set in an agreement concluded between the provider and the employing entity.

Until 31 December 2017, the above-mentioned Act required that crèches should have two rooms within their premises. One of them was to be used for children taking rest, given a long time they spent in a crèche (up to 10 hours per day, with a possibility to extend the duration of stay at the request of a child’s parents in particularly justified cases).

Until 31 December 2017, kids clubs provided care to each child for up to 5 hours per day; since 1 January 2018, the working time has been extended to 10 hours.

[2] In 2017, the maximum number of day-care hours for kids clubs was extended from 5 to 10 (as for crèches); at the same time, a limit was set for the number of places available to make kids clubs smaller and cosier than crèches.

[3] According to the report of the Council of Ministers on the implementation of the Act of 4 February 2011 on Care for Children aged up to 3 years, the expected proportion was 10.6%.

[4] Children aged over 2 years to 3 years represented 52% of all children enrolled in care institutions.

[5] The term refers to care provided in both crèches and kids clubs, as well as by day-care providers and nannies.

[6] Report in Polish: https://www.gov.pl/documents/910151/911704/Polska_VNR_20180615.pdf/249b7b50-5eec-cb1c-158b-1885da262253

[7] Costs of constructing new buildings and purchase of real estate were not eligible.

[8] The total amount ultimately disbursed was 117.4 mln PLN.

Eurydice

Poland

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