INFORMATION ON KINDERGARTEN IN BARCELONA
Kindergarten is termed as ‘guarderia’ in Spain. There are two stages:-
- Guarderia (0-3 years) – Also referred as Escoles Bressol or llars d’infants.
P0, P1 & P2 are terms used where the number is indicative of the child’s age that year.
- Educació infantil (3-6 years) – P3, P4 & P5
These daycare centers are either run by the government (Municipality) or privately run. Families here start with guarderias as early as 3 months till 3 years.
The registration process usually starts in the month of May every year and the term starts in September. Open door is organized in the month of April where the teachers take you through the nursery and answer all your queries. The registration requirements vary depending on the region or municipality and points are allocated accordingly. The seats are allocated based on lottery and points as generally the applications are 3 times the number of seats available. Catalan and Spanish are spoken languages in public guarderias.
The state-run guarderias provide childcare for the whole day and also include lunch. You can opt out of lunch facility also and it costs around (50-100 Euros per month). The fee is dependent on various factors like family income, dependents, meal facility etc. and ranges from 50 – 395 Euros per month. The document process is not difficult and it is not necessary for a child to have an NIE card. The vaccination card is very important and you will have to ensure that the child has got all the necessary vaccinations.
You can check the list of guarderias as per your region/municipal from the official website (http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/escolesbressol/)
The website covers the pre-registration, admission criteria, fees simulator and all other important details.
Since getting a spot at a state-run nursery is not always guaranteed so many parents opt for a private nursery instead and which can cost you around 400 – 600 Euros per month. This is also dependent on factors like time spent (half day or full day), meals or any other facility you opt for. The spot availability differs from one another so it is highly recommended to contact them individually. There are many options for English nurseries in and around Barcelona. Often expats prefer private guarderias due to the multilingual environment.
Few International nurseries (the list is not exhaustive)
- BCN Kinder
- Happy Way
- Kids & Us
- Noah’s Ark
- English Kinder
- Peek-a-boo
- Kinder Barcelona
- Mimos
Text by Palak Sehgal Sikka
