Place guarantee to ECEC

ECEC for children under three years of age

There is no legal guarantee to a place in early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children under the age of three.

One in two children under the age of three are enrolled in ECEC settings. Provision has increased considerably in recent years, particularly in terms of crèches. In 2020, crèches network coverage for children up to three years old was 48.8 % (Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento (GEP)/Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security [MTSSS - Carta Social 2020]) in mainland Portugal, against 32.7 % in 2009. That said, coverage is uneven throughout the country, and provision in the Greater Lisbon and Porto areas does not meet the needs of the resident population. The mainland average rate of crèche and childminder use in 2020 was 83 % in total places available for children under the age of three.

ECEC for children aged three and over

The Portuguese authorities guarantee a place in a pre-primary school for children from the age of three, for the last two years of ECEC (ISCED 020). The legal entitlement to ECEC was extended to the age of three by Legislative Order No 6/2018, 12 April, in updated wording and republished by Legislative Order No 10-B/2021, 14 April), which states that "attending pre-school education is optional and designed primarily for those children between three years old and the age pupils start the 1st cycle of basic education". Since 2015, Portugal has managed to provide enough places for the last two years of ECEC in all areas of the country, guaranteeing universal pre-primary education in line with the law.

In 2019/2020, pre-primary attendance rates in Portugal were the following:

• 83.2 % at three years old
• 95.8 % at four years old
• 99.9 % at five years old.

(Source: Educação em Números - Portugal 2021, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência [DGEEC]).

Affordability

ECEC for children under 3 years of age

The private not-for-profit and for-profit sectors makes up a significant proportion of ECEC for children under three years old.

In 2020, there were 2 561 crèches in mainland Portugal, 77 % of those were owned by non-profit bodies, which highlights the importance of the solidarity network in terms of early childhood care. Only the districts of Setúbal (45 %), Lisbon (40 %) and Porto (31 %) registered private for-profit crèches shares above 30 %. As such, 17.2 % of children attended private crèches in the for-profit sector in 2020 (Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento (GEP)/Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security [MTSSS], Carta Social 2020). 

The total amount of the fees is not regulated, but there is public support in the case of attending crèches run by private non-profit institutions or legally equivalent institutions (with cooperation agreements with the MTSSS). In addition to public support, families paid an amount depending on their income. Crèche attendance is free for all children whose families are in the lowest family contribution brackets for social services and support. Ordinance No 196 -A/2015, 1 July, in its current wording, defines the criteria, rules and forms regarding the cooperation model between the Institute of Social Security, I. P., and private social solidarity institutions (or legally equivalent) for social responses to crèches.  Law No 2/2022, 3 January establishes the gradual extension of free places for all children attending crèches managed by private not-for-profit institutions (IPSS and other legally equivalent institutions) with a cooperation agreement with the MTSSS, as well as in childminders managed by the ISS, I. P, according to the following schedule: (a) In 2022, all children entering the first year of crèche (from 1 September 2022) b) In 2023, all children entering the first year of crèche and proceeding to the second year c) In 2024, all children entering the first year of crèche and proceeding to the second and third years.

In the case of scales not covered by this measure, in addition to public support, families are paid an amount depending on their income.

ECEC for children aged 3 and over

The public and private not-for-profit pre-primary schools that children attend from age three are free of charge for 25 hours a week. Parents’ and guardians’ contributions to the cost of family support services (which includes lunch and extra hours after the teaching component) in pre-primary settings is regulated by Joint Order No 300/97, 4 September. Subsidies are established annually via specific legislation and families’ contributions are calculated according to income.

To ensure that the daily five-hour teaching component (i.e., 25 hours a week) ministered by pre-primary teachers is free, there has been a strategy of consolidating partnerships via cooperation protocols between the Ministry of Education (ME), the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS), the Private Institution of Social Solidarity Union (UIPSS),  Portuguese Charities Union (UMP) and the Portuguese Mutual Societies Union. As such, children who attend both the public network and publicly funded ECEC (IPSS) are entitled to education and access to out of hours provision and family support, providing meals and an extended timetable beyond the five daily teaching hours (Article 16, Pre-Primary Education Framework Law, Law No 5/97, 10 February).

Once financial support is established, agreements can be signed between the state and institutions, in the case of the private not-for-profit network, and between these and the local authorities, in the case of the public network. In most cases, the transport of children (family home) is paid for by the local authorities. The costs families incur with ECEC fees for children of all ages are tax deductible.

On the private for-profit network (private and cooperative institutions) families pay a monthly fee, although they may receive financial help, depending on family support contracts and their income. In some for-profit private institutions, families pay a monthly fee without any financial help from the State (i.e. these are fully independent institutions).

In the 2019/2020 school year, from a total of 251,108 children enrolled in pre-primary education, 133,007 (53.0 %) were attending the public network; 74,517 (29.7 %) children were enrolled in government-dependent private pre-primary schools (mainly IPSS - private social solidarity institutions) and 43,584 (17.4 %) in government independent private pre-primary schools. These percentages are identical to those registered in previous school years.

This means that although most children in pre-primary education are enrolled in public network, the private network, particularly government-dependent private network formed by the IPSS, assume a relevant weight in the provision for this level of education. See Education Statistics 2019/20 (Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência - DGEEC/Ministério da Educação) and also Student Profile: Mainland 2019/20 (DGEEC).

See additional information in Subchapter 3.1 - Funding pre-school and school education.