I would like a place in a crèche

Since January 1, 2024, the management of requests for childcare in municipal day-care centers under public management or public service delegation has been handled directly by the City of Montpellier.

The municipality is doing its utmost to provide you with personalized solutions for your child's care and to simplify your procedures thanks to online registration.

Important: in all cases (pre-registration online, at the counters or by post), the application must be accompanied by the mandatory supporting documents.

1. Regular childcare

The City of Montpellier offers customized childcare solutions for your child: full-time, part-time or extracurricular on Wednesdays.

Based on families' needs, we draw up a tailored contract, lasting from 3 months to 1 year, renewable until your child is 3 years old or starts school. This contract, drawn up between the family and the Pôle Petite Enfance, gives rise to a schedule detailing the days and times of care :

• Daily reception amplitude
• Weekly planning
• Number of weeks per year
• Maximum number of days of annual leave and RTT

2. Occasional reception

Occasional reception is offered on weekly reservation, to be made by the family no later than Friday for punctual reception the following week. The duration of care is flexible, with a minimum of 2 h, and a maximum limited to the establishment's opening hours.

This service, reserved for pre-registered children, is not the subject of a reception contract but of successive reservations. It cannot be renewed on a predictable schedule. It can, however, complement existing regular care, depending on the slots available in the establishment already attended by the child.

3. Emergency care and care for specific publics

Particular attention is paid to the care of children whose parents are in the process of integration in accordance with the provisions of article D 21467 of the Code de l'Action Sociale et des Familles (CASF).

In exceptional and unforeseen cases, the Pôle Petite Enfance management may agree to take a child into temporary emergency care even if the child has never attended the structure.

This type of "exceptional" or "emergency" care comes into play when families have not been able to anticipate a problem, or are faced with one-off difficulties for a period not exceeding 15 days (health problems of the parents or a sibling, hospitalization, failure of the parent who usually looks after the child...).

The Direction de Pôle Petite Enfance assesses the nature of the emergency and may, exceptionally, depart from the usual rules by resorting to an excess of capacity provided that it does not exceed the maximum number of children that the crèche is authorized to welcome each week.

2. L’accueil occasionnel

L'accueil occasionnel est proposé sur réservation hebdomadaire, à effectuer par la famille au plus tard le vendredi pour un accueil ponctuel la semaine suivante. La durée de l'accueil est modulable, avec un minimum de 2 h, et un maximum limité aux horaires d'ouverture de l'établissement. 

Cet accueil, réservé aux enfants préinscrits, ne fait donc pas l’objet d’un contrat d’accueil mais de réservations successives. Il ne peut être renouvelé à un rythme prévisible. Il peut cependant compléter un accueil régulier existant, selon les créneaux disponibles dans l’établissement déjà fréquenté par l’enfant.

En savoir plus sur l’accueil occasionnel :

3. L’accueil d’urgence et l’accueil des publics spécifiques

Une attention particulière est apportée à l’accueil des enfants dont les parents sont en démarche d’insertion conformément aux dispositions de l’article D 21467 du code de l’Action Sociale et des Familles (CASF).

Dans des cas exceptionnels et non prévus, la Direction du Pôle Petite Enfance peut accepter de prendre un enfant en accueil d’urgence temporaire même si l’enfant n’a jamais fréquenté la structure.

Ce type d’accueil dit “exceptionnel” ou “d’urgence” intervient lorsque les familles n’ont pas pu anticiper un problème, qu’elles sont confrontées à des difficultés ponctuelles pour une durée n’excédant pas 15 jours (problèmes de santé des parents ou d’un enfant de la fratrie, hospitalisation, défaillance du parent assurant habituellement la garde de l’enfant…).

La Direction de Pôle Petite Enfance évalue le caractère d’urgence et peut, exceptionnellement, déroger aux règles habituelles en ayant recours à un dépassement de capacité à condition de ne pas dépasser le nombre maximum d'enfants que la crèche est autorisée à accueillir chaque semaine.

Pre-registration is compulsory for regular or occasional childcare at a municipal facility.

• For a request for regular childcare, we recommend that you pre-register your child from the 4th month of pregnancy.
• For occasional municipal childcare or non-municipal facilities, please contact the facility directly.

There are 3 ways to pre-register your child at the crèche:

1. On-line

2. At the Prest'O counter at the Hôtel de Ville or in one of the local town halls.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm.

The Pôle Petite Enfance manages your pre-registration file, calculates your financial contribution and ensures the confidentiality of the data recorded. The 3 documents required to complete the file are:

1. Proof of address less than 3 months old

• Housing tax or gas/electricity bill or home insurance or
• rent receipt (excluding receipts issued by a private individual) or
• landline telephone bill or internet subscription or lease from an organization or property tax ;

2. Justificatif d'état civil

• Extrait d'acte de naissance avec filiation du bénéficiaire ou livret de famille ou
• Certificat médical attestant de la grossesse et de la date présumée presumed date of delivery or Cerfa declaration of pregnancy for enrolment in crèches from the 4th month of pregnancy or document from a CAF or social security administration attesting to the pregnancy (start date) ;

Online birth certificate request

3. Proof of income

• CAF certificate for general scheme recipients
• N-1 tax notice on N-2 income and copy of up-to-date family record book mentioning dependent children for non-CAF recipients.

Since April 4, 2023, new rules have been in place for the allocation of crèche places in Montpellier. The aim is to enable parents of young children to reconcile family and professional life and to encourage the development and fulfillment of the toddler.

In Montpellier, the emphasis is on fighting against inequalities, supporting parenthood and taking into account specific fragilities.

The allocation of places is examined by a commission that decides and pronounces admissions according to various criteria: family and social structure, disability, illness, employment, availability of care in the desired structures, the date of pre-registration and the child's age bracket.

The allocation commission is chaired by the Deputy Delegate for Children. It meets in April and June for places allocated for the start of the September school year, and during the year to manage vacant places. Parents are informed by mail.

The admission file is submitted to the Childcare Social Services Department, which then refers you to the head of the facility to prepare for your child's admission. Final admission depends on the child's state of health, which must be compatible with life in the community. Vaccinations must be up to date.