Early childhood

The City continued to provide financial support to community crèches and promote their professionalisation within the framework of the sector's collective agreement (SNAECSO). To this effect, in partnership with CAFLA, it commissioned an external firm to provide assistance to all of those structures; in 2010, four training sessions and on-line advice were provided. In addition to this work dedicated to maintaining existing structures, support was provided for the creation of 250 additional places by 2014, of which 45 places have been available since the beginning of this term (2008).

The Relais d'Assistantes Maternelles (RAM) are municipal establishments providing child-minding information. They are open to child-minders as well as families looking for a child-minding solution for their children. Since the beginning of 2010, working groups have been holding meetings to discuss the future of the RAMs.

The number of child-minders registered with the RAMs of Nantes is much higher than in other cities: in 2010, the City's RAMs had 1,289 registered members, i.e. nearly 90% of certified child-minders.

The management of the municipal establishments has been evolving in keeping with the modification of their operating rules which took place on 1st September.

This has made it possible to cater for the families' specific needs by offering them a child-minding contract with adaptable hours. Moreover, families are now invoiced on a monthly basis, to combine simplicity and stability of the child-minding budget.

Non-municipal multi-service crèches: 40 sites, 1,265 certified places

• 25 places created in community crèches in 2010

Municipal multi-service crèches: 24 sites, 1,228 certified places

Estimated breakdown of child care per type of child-minding facility
49%: family (of which 10% attend a municipal day-care centre)
15%: child-minder, home babysitting
26%: municipal or community crèches
5.4%: child-minding in the family's home
4.7%: nursery school

Cost per type of child-minding facility
€8.78 for municipal crèches and €7.98 for home-based service provided by the City