Childcare options

There are a number of childcare options for children under school age, i.e. up to the age of 3: group daycare facilities (crèches), childminders, in-home child care, and drop-in day-care centers.

Group daycare facilities (“accueils collectifs”)

These facilities are designed to care for children from the age of 2 months until they are old enough to go to preschool, and have 20 to 70 spaces:
  • Municipal or public nurseries and facilities ('crèches municipales', 'crèches familiales', ‘établissements d’accueil collectif public’)
  • Private nurseries and facilities (‘crèches’ run by parents, micro-crèches, company crèches)

Childminders

A childminder (‘assistant maternel’ or ‘assistante maternelle’) is a professional who looks after up to four children generally under 6 years old in his/her own home.

In-home childcare

You can employ a person directly or through a state-approved organization to care for your children in your own home (‘garde à domicile’).

Occasional childcare: drop-in daycare centers

Drop-in daycare centers (‘halte-garderies’) are small public centers (also known as ‘espace petite enfance municipal’) or private centers that care for children from 2 months to 6 years old on an occasional basis (half-day or full day).
Enrollment must be done directly at the centers.
The cost for you is means-tested and will depend on the number of hours you use the service. Means-testing takes into account your ‘quotient familial’, a tool used by the Family Allowances Office (‘Caisse d’Allocations Familiales’ - CAF) to calculate your household’s income.

Childcare information centers

Parents with young children can go to one of these centers (‘espaces d’information petite enfance’) to obtain information and advice about the different care options for their children.

In Grenoble
Pôle Accueil Petite Enfance
Reception of the public by appointment only
'Centre communal Camille-Claudel'
47, avenue Marcelin-Berthelot 38100 Grenoble
04 38 02 37 37 (Monday to Thursday, 8:45am to 12pm)
accueilpe@ccas-grenoble.fr
> Find out more

In Valence
Point Information Petite Enfance
Espace Jacques Brel, 1 place Jacques Brel, Valence
04 75 81 30 30
petiteenfance.valence@valenceromansagglo.fr
> More information
Published on  January 8, 2021
Updated on May 19, 2022