Pre-school education

Two-year-old girl playing seated on the floor in front of a shelf at a nursery in Barcelona

Pre-school education is offered to children aged 0 to 6 and is not compulsory. It is divided into two cycles: the first, for children aged 0 to 3, takes place in nursery schools, while the second, for children aged 3 to 6, is offered in primary schools.

Before discussing these cycles, we would like to present another option of interest for families with children under the age of 3 in Barcelona.

Municipal child-rearing spaces for families

Barcelona has a network of nearly thirty municipal child-rearing spaces for young children and their families, known locally as EFCMs (espais familiars de criança municipals). They are located in all the city’s districts.

These spaces provide an educational service, including professional guidance, and serve as a meeting place for families and children up to the age of three. They offer parenting support, help to build relationships and create a community.

Each group meets once or twice a week for two hours and is supervised by two professionals, although the children must always be accompanied by a family member or a trusted adult. Family groups are maintained over time to encourage social interaction, sharing and mutual support, and to break the isolation of parenting at home.

These spaces are located in safe and well-equipped public facilities designed to guarantee play and discovery. They are usually run in Catalan, so attending with children also gives parents the chance to practise the local language and make new friends.

If you’re interested in this service, you must contact an EFCM directly and register in advance. To find your nearest EFCM and for more information, visit the website of the Network of Municipal Child-Rearing Spaces for Families.

First cycle of pre-school education

For the first stage of infant education, from 0 to 3 years, Barcelona has an extensive network of public facilities, including five day llars d'infants or day care centres (run by the Catalan Ministry of Education) and 105 escoles bressol or municipal nursery schools (run by Barcelona City Council).

Children from 0 to 3 years of age can attend a municipal nursery school or day care centre if they are at least four months old at the start of the school year in September.

Places in these public facilities are allocated through an annual enrolment process based on a points system, with points awarded according to various criteria, such as whether the family home is in the school’s catchment area, the family’s income and other circumstances. The preregistration process for public nursery schools and day care centres is different from the preregistration process for schools. It usually takes place in May and is for the school year starting in September. Facilities hold open days a month before, around April.

Pre-school education in public schools is divided into three groups: I0, I1 and I2 (where the letter i stands for infants).

For infants in I0 and I1 (between 4 months and 2 years old), the cost is subsidised and monthly fees are calculated using social pricing based on family income and the number of people in the child’s family.
For infants in I2 (2-3 years old), education is free and families only have to pay for their child’s food if they stay for lunch or if there are additional costs, which are also subject to social pricing.

Places in public facilities are not provided on a universal basis, which means that they are not guaranteed. In fact, the demand for places is usually higher than the number of places available. For further information on municipal nursery schools consult the escoles bresol website.

Barcelona evidently has numerous private schools offering pre-school education. Many of them also offer this education in several languages. To enrol a child in a private nursey, you must contact the centre directly.

Second cycle of pre-school education

The second cycle of infant education, sometimes called pre-school, is for children aged 3 to 6 and is not compulsory. However, most families in Catalonia enrol their children in this stage, which starts in September of the year they turn three.

Pre-school usually takes place within a primary school, which means that when children start this stage, they are effectively entering the school they will attend until the age of 12 (or older).

Children who start infant education in a primary school are guaranteed a place in the same school when they enter primary education.

In public schools, this stage of education is free: there are no fees for schooling, only possible charges for additional services such as school meals, field trips or school supplies. Education is also universal, meaning that every child is guaranteed a place.

Consult the related formalities if you would like to see how to enrol for these state schools.

The school selection process can be complicated and there are many factors to consider. For this reason, we recommend that you consult the Choosing a school in Barcelona guide.