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

Spanish children can start nursery (escuela infantil) as babies and free school-based infant classes at 3. Several regions now make some or all of the 0 to 3 stage free in the public network, and working mothers can claim a tax deduction that rises with nursery costs.

Types of care

Free and funded places by region

National law asks regions to increase public places for 0 to 3 so every request can be met, but cost and free places vary by region.

Public places are allocated once a year, usually in spring (in the Balearics for 2026/27, 13 to 21 April). Apply early and join private waiting lists as a backup.

Tax help: the maternity and nursery deduction

• Who: mothers of children under 3 who are registered with Social Security (at least 30 days of contributions) or receiving unemployment benefit at the birth. A father can claim if the mother has died or he has sole custody
• How much: up to €1,200 a year per child, worked out month by month. It can be paid in advance by the Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria)
• Nursery increase: up to €1,000 more for fees paid to an authorised nursery or infant education centre, including registration, attendance and meals, for full months, up to what you actually paid after any subsidy
• Through your employer: nursery places that an employer provides or pays an authorised centre for are a tax-exempt benefit in kind (often called cheque guardería). They can’t also count towards the €1,000
• Regions may add their own deductions: check your region’s IRPF rules or ask a tax adviser. See how IRPF works

Summer camps and holidays

Town halls run day camps in school buildings: Madrid city offered 14,415 places in summer 2026, at about €70 to €130 a fortnight depending on income, meals included. Some districts are cheaper, such as Vicálvaro at about €41 to €42 a week. Private and language camps cost more. Book in spring: popular places fill quickly. See summer in Spain.

Babysitters and au pairs

• Au pairs: an au pair arrangement is family exchange, not a job: light help with children or the home in return for food, lodging and pocket money. If the tasks stop being marginal, it can become domestic employment
• Au pairs from outside the EU (including the UK) generally need a student visa: one Spanish consulate lists ages 17 to 30, a full-time course of at least 20 hours of classes a week, an au pair agreement of up to a year, no more than 5 hours of help a day and at least one full day off a week
• Au pairs from EU and EFTA countries need no visa but must register if staying over 3 months

Parental leave

Each parent gets 19 weeks of birth leave, paid by Social Security: 6 weeks straight after the birth, 11 weeks to use until the child turns 1, and 2 weeks until they turn 8 (32 weeks for a single parent). Each parent can also take up to 8 weeks of parental leave until the child turns 8. See your rights at work.