How do we find childcare, after-school care or holiday care?

Portugal now pays for a free creche place for every child of creche age, as long as you find a place in a participating creche. From 3, the five daily hours of public pre-school are free, and families pay a share for the hours before and after. Holiday care comes from town halls, parishes and private camps.

Types of care

Free creche: Creche Feliz

• Who: children born on or after 1 September 2021. By 2026 that covers every child of creche age, so the question is only whether the creche takes part and has a free place
• Where: social-sector creches and family creches, Segurança Social amas, and public and private creches that have joined the scheme. A private creche is an option if there’s no social-sector place in the parish where you live or work
• How: since May 2026 the Creche Feliz app is gone. You search free places and apply on the Segurança Social portal or app (Segurança Social Direta), choosing up to 3 creches at once. Enter the code the creche gives you and track the request online. If there’s no free place, fill in the interest form
• Priority: children already at the creche, siblings at the same creche, then lower-income families and single-parent or large families who live and work locally, among others
• What it covers: the creche’s normal activities and services, such as meals and hygiene. Segurança Social pays the creche €551.50 a month per child
• You need Segurança Social Direta access, so get your social security number (NISS) early: see How much tax will I pay in Portugal?

Pre-school (jardim de infância)

Children can enrol in public pre-school if they turn 3 by 15 September; those turning 3 later can join if there’s a place. Applications for 2026/27 ran from 22 April to 1 June 2026 on the Portal das Matrículas, and when places are short, 4- and 5-year-olds come first. The teaching part, 5 hours a day, is free in public and non-profit private settings. The family support part (AAAF) covers the time before and after, lunch, rest and school holidays. It is shared between the state and families according to income, and each town hall sets its fees. In Alcabideche (Cascais) for 2025/26, AAAF runs from 8am to 9am and from about 3pm to 7pm, with fees set by your child benefit (abono de família) band.

After school: CAF and ATL

Primary schools in the state system offer a family support component (CAF) before and after lessons and during school holidays, usually through the town hall or parish, for families who need it for work. Estarreja’s town hall keeps all primary schools open until at least 5.30pm and for at least 8 hours a day. Example costs from Alcabideche for 2025/26: €15 a month for 8am to 9am, €20 a month for 5.30pm to 7pm, and €45 a week or €170 a month in the holidays. Private ATL centres, often near schools, offer homework help and collection; compare prices locally.

Summer and holiday camps

Holiday camps (campos de férias) are regulated by Decreto-Lei 32/2011, and organisers must register with the Portuguese youth institute (IPDJ). Town halls and parishes run cheaper camps: Odivelas, for example, runs camps for residents aged 6 to 17 and asks for an up-to-date vaccination record. Check the IPDJ registration number on the camp’s rules, and book in spring. See summer in Portugal.

Babysitters and au pairs

• Au pairs: an au pair is usually a young person aged 18 to 30, single and without children, on a cultural exchange: they live with the family, help with children and light housework, and get board, lodging and pocket money. An au pair from outside the EU needs a visa that allows the stay: check with the Portuguese consulate
• Regular paid childcare at home is domestic service, with a contract, Social Security and insurance: see hiring a cleaner or nanny

Tax help in IRS

• Education and childcare: 30% of the cost of creches, jardins de infância, schools, school meals, books and childcare services, up to €800 a year per household. Invoices must carry your NIF and the right activity code; check them on e-Fatura. Costs abroad can be entered on the Portal das Finanças
• Dependants: €600 per dependant, plus €126 for a child aged 3 or under at the end of the year, or €300 extra for a second or later child aged 6 or under (the two extras don’t combine)
• These are deductions from tax due, so they only help if you pay IRS in Portugal as a resident