Ten weeks of paid maternity leave is allowed for working mothers, extended to 18 weeks if it is the third or more child. So anyone who plans to go back to work must find care.
This can be formal and paid; either in a crèche, with a childminder (assistante maternelle) or a nanny in your home, or informal (family, often a grandparent, a friend or one of the parents who will stay at home).
The latest figures from a study by the Observatoire National de la Petite Enfance de la Cnaf (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales), show that in 2015, 56% of under-3s were in formal care with the majority of those being looked after by an assistante maternelle.
Nearly half of children are not in a formal structure.
This can be personal choice but it is also due to the fact there are just 18 places for every 100 children under-three in crèches.
This means if you want to use external child care you must book as early as possible, before the child is born.
Assistantes maternelles are slightly easier to find, but again it is best to start early so you can choose someone who suits you and is available.
You can find out about local child care from a Relais Assistantes Maternelles (Ram) which are sited in most small towns, often in the mairie. Find your nearest one at mon-enfant.fr
Crèche fees are means tested and some forms of care can earn tax credits. You can apply for help with fees from the Caf for both assistantes maternelles and crèches.
As an idea, my daughter, Charlotte, has two children aged six months and two years and employs an assistante maternelle on a 25-hour a week contract. In April she paid €810 for the 25-hour weekly contract, but her Caf family allowance plus childcare allowance more than covered this. She was also able to claim tax credits.
Of course, each situation is different, but there is funding help available.
Charlotte says the most difficult thing is sorting out the paperwork as you are regarded as the child minder’s employer and must draw up a contract with them, pay them and declare their salary to the Pajemploi, which is part of Urssaf pajemploi.urssaf.fr
She also says you have to work hard to find the one to suit your needs as sometimes they do not work every weekday or during school holidays.
An assistante maternelle must have a recognised qualification and can have up to four children in her home.
There are different types of crèche: municipale run by a local authority; entreprise run by a workplace for employees; privée, run as a private business; parentale run by a parents’ association; familiale made up of a number of assistantes maternelles who look after up to four children in their home but who meet up in the crèche familiale building once or twice a week, and a jardin d’enfants which has activities to stimulate young children.
In addition, micro-crèches are growing in popularity and have a maximum of 10 children.
They are all covered by the same strict regulations with a minimum number of qualified employees. There must be at least one person for five children who cannot walk yet and one person for eight children who walk.
Crèches are financed in part by the Caf and though fees are not the same everywhere your contribution is income and family size related.
You can work out the price on the Caf website www.mon-enfant.fr
Lucie Payan is an éducatrice de jeunes enfants – which is one of the qualifications which allows you to work in and eventually be the director of a crèche – and works in a crèche in Toulouse where there are 45 places.
Most contracts with families are for 50 hours a week, meaning children are often there for 10 hours at a time.
Mrs Payan explains this is because parents’ working days can be long with a 1-2 hour lunch break and travel either end. “We have four groups of children, each with a dedicated team to look after them. “The first group is for the 2½-8 months, the second for 8–12 up to 18 months, the third for 1-2 years and fourth for 2-3 year olds.”
She has worked in several crèches and says they all do their best for the children they welcome: “There is always a good feeling and an effort to make the children as cared for as possible. In my current crèche, parents are invited in to help in the fortnight’s transition period when children start.
“We write down everything about each child’s day so we can tell the parents how much they have slept, what they have eaten and we always try to find a personal anecdote to make the parents feel as involved as possible.
“I really love my job, we have such a lovely time with the children.”
Private crèches will probably be more expensive and may have a theme, such as being bilingual. Parental crèches mean that the father and mother must participate in part of the running of the crèche, so require more of their time.
