Private children's centres in Greece can now take children from age 2, not 2½

Privately run day-care centres in Greece can now take children from the age of 2, six months earlier than before.¹² The change comes from a joint ministerial decision (κοινή υπουργική απόφαση, koini ypourgiki apofasi, or ΚΥΑ), no. 21882/2026, published in the Government Gazette (Φύλλο Εφημερίδας της Κυβερνήσεως, Fyllo Efimeridas tis Kyverniseos, or ΦΕΚ, the official journal where laws and decisions take effect) as ΦΕΚ Β΄ 6093 on 7 October 2026.¹² The decision took effect on the day of publication.¹²

It was signed by Domna Michailidou, who heads the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family (Υπουργείο Κοινωνικής Συνοχής και Οικογένειας, Ypourgeio Koinonikis Synochis kai Oikogeneias), and Maria Eleni Soukouli-Viliali, Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy (Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος και Ενέργειας, Ypourgeio Perivallontos kai Energeias).²³

What are the three kinds of nursery in Greece?

Greek rules sort day-care units by the ages they take.⁴ Under the new decision:

• an infant nursery (βρεφικός σταθμός, vrefikos stathmos) takes babies from 2 months to 2 years;¹²
• a children's centre (παιδικός σταθμός, paidikos stathmos) takes children from 2 years until the age at which they enrol in compulsory education;¹²
• a combined centre (βρεφονηπιακός σταθμός, vrefonipiakos stathmos) takes children from 2 months until the age at which they enrol in compulsory education, as before.¹⁵

Until 7 October 2026 the dividing line between the first two was 2½ years.⁴⁵

From 7 October 2026, a privately run children's centre in Greece can take a child from the age of 2, not 2½.¹²

Does this apply to municipal nurseries?

The decision amends a 2017 ministerial decision that sets licensing conditions for units run by private-law bodies (φορείς ιδιωτικού δικαίου, foreis idiotikou dikaiou), both for-profit and non-profit.²⁴ Aftodioikisi.gr, a news site covering local government, reports that the changes are not a general amendment of the rules for municipal (δημοτικοί, dimotikoi) centres.⁶ According to Eurydice, the European Commission's education information network, municipal centres follow a separate standard regulation under the Ministry of Interior (Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών, Ypourgeio Esoterikon).⁹ The ministry's announcement does not mention the distinction.³

My child is already enrolled. Do they have to move?

We found no general transitional rule in the decision for children who are already enrolled.¹² The only clause on existing units that we found concerns outdoor space.¹² Nothing in the text we read says that 2-year-olds must move, so ask your centre how it will handle current places.¹²

How does this fit with compulsory pre-primary school?

In Greece, pre-primary school (νηπιαγωγείο, nipiagogeio) is compulsory for two years, starting at the age of 4.⁹ Esos.gr, an education news site, reported in July 2020 on article 34 of law 4704/2020, which amended paragraph 4 of article 3 of law 1566/1985. Under the amended text, attendance for children who turn 4 "becomes compulsory in stages, from the 2018–2019 school year" (in our translation).⁸ By our reading, a children's centre place therefore normally runs from age 2 until the child starts pre-primary school at around 4.¹⁹

What else changes for private centres?

Private units may enrol up to 10% more children than their licensed capacity, as before.¹⁵ In the Attica region and the regional unit of Thessaloniki, the margin rises to 15%.¹² By our calculation, a centre licensed for 100 children in Attica or Thessaloniki could enrol 115, an example Aftodioikisi.gr also gives.⁶

The decision also relaxes several space rules:¹²

• the infant sleep room needs one sleeping place for every two infants, with a minimum area of 12 square metres instead of 15;¹⁴
• one nappy-changing station is required for every 9 infants, instead of every 6;¹⁴
• outdoor space for children's and combined centres falls from 4.50 to 3.50 square metres per child, the same as for infant nurseries; in Attica and the Thessaloniki regional unit the figure is 3.00, and infant nurseries already licensed on 7 October 2026 may use 3.00 per infant.¹⁵

Staffing now follows tiered tables.¹² In the infant section, one qualified infant-care worker (βρεφονηπιοκόμος, vrefonipiokomos) covers up to 8 infants.¹² A section of 9 to 12 infants needs one infant-care worker plus a second person, who may be another infant-care worker or an assistant (βοηθός βρεφονηπιοκόμου, voithos vrefonipiokomou).¹² In the toddler section, one pre-school teacher (νηπιαγωγός, nipiagogos) covers up to 25 children, and 26 to 35 children need one pre-school teacher plus another pre-school teacher or an assistant teacher (βοηθός νηπιαγωγού, voithos nipiagogou).¹²

Under the 2017 rules, a section had one infant carer (βρεφοκόμος, vrefokomos) per 8 infants, and an assistant "must be hired where the number of infants exceeds the ratio by 4 infants" (in our translation).⁴⁵ The toddler section had one pre-school teacher per 25 children, with an assistant teacher required when the number of children exceeded the ratio by 10.⁴⁵

Graduates of social work departments (Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Εργασίας, Tmima Koinonikis Ergasias, or equivalent schools for social workers), who could already direct a children's centre, can now also direct an infant nursery.¹⁵ An owner or legal representative without the required qualifications may be named director, but must then appoint a director of the pedagogical programme (Διευθυντής/τρια παιδαγωγικού προγράμματος, Diefthyntis/tria paidagogikou programmatos).¹²

Why did the government make the change?

The ministry says the aim is to let centres make better use of their facilities so that more places are created, especially for infants.³⁷ Michailidou said that limited space in big cities makes it hard to create new centres, and that the ministry is therefore making the framework "more flexible … without any compromise on children's safety and care" (in our translation).³ The ministry's announcement gives no estimate of how many places will be added.³

What should parents do now?

There is nothing to apply for.¹ If you are choosing a private centre, ask which licence category it holds and how it staffs each age group.¹² The ministry's announcement does not mention the day-care voucher programme or municipal centres.³