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Summary of our market study
The French private daycare market is estimated at 1.8 billion euros , with an annual growth rate of 11.6%.
Demand continues to outstrip supply.
Private crèches, benefiting from both public funding schemes - PSU and PAJE - and private investment, have sought to differentiate themselves through specialized educational offerings and digitalization to attract both families and businesses.
Major players such as Les Petits Chaperons Rouges, Babilou and others are increasingly turning to European and American markets for expansion, due to strict local reand uncertain national political support, with the goal of creating 30,000 new crèches in the 2018-2022 plan.
The challenge of accessibility persists, particularly for low-income families, despite various subsidy programs. The market also faces the need to train 30,000 professionals by 2027.
The French childcare market: sustained demand and insufficient supply
The number of available places has exploded, with some 90,000 places offered by private institutions. However, there remains a major imbalance between supply and demand for childcare services. It is estimated that there will be a shortage of almost 200,000 crèche places by 2032.
The number of new births is between 650,000 and 700,000 per year. Falling birth rates do not significantly reduce demand for childcare.
Over 80% of parents surveyed said they were very satisfied. However, many are turning to other solutions due to the limits of supply.
Financial interventions by the national government and the Caisse Nationale d'Allocations Familiales are aimed at strengthening the early childhood sector, but only 10% to 20% of the targets for the creation of crèches have been achieved.
The private sector is highly responsive. Its business model relies heavily on various forms of state aid.
This dependence on public subsidies is a sign of the delicate financial balance within the private childcare market.
The market shows a high level of concentration, with the existence of a few dominant players. Expansion and diversification are the order of the day for these market leaders, with international projects in other European markets as well as in America.
French nursery market players
- Les Petits Chaperons Rouges, part of the Grandir group, is at the forefront. Grandir is extending its expertise beyond France's borders, and has made a number of acquisitions.
- Babilou With a solid network of facilities throughout France, Babilou also stands out for its international outlook.
- People and Baby is another major player, enriching the market with a range of services that meet the needs of modern families.
- La Maison Bleue stands out for its adoption of innovative educational techniques, including environmentally-friendly practices that echo society's growing concern for sustainable living.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Day-care centers, officially known as "établissements d'accueil du jeune enfant" (EAJE), play an essential role in the care of young children, generally between the ages of 1 and 3. They offer parents a reliable alternative for childcare, helping them to reconcile their professional and personal lives.
In France, the EAJE landscape is particularly varied, based on a variety of management methods. These establishments can be run by associations, local authorities or even companies. There are two main types of crèches:
- public crèches, often run by municipalities
- private, for-profit crèches.
The latter, managed by private companies, are playing an increasingly important role in the childcare market .
Private ECECs fall into several categories, depending on their structure. These include
- multi-accueil crèches, which can accommodate children under flexible formulas
- company crèches, specially created for the employees of certain companies
- municipal crèches, delegated to a private provider as part of a public service contract (DSP)
- micro-crèches, which are smaller and cater for a limited number of children
Each type of facility meets specific needs and offers care arrangements tailored to the constraints of families.
Private crèches are financed by a variety of schemes, including
- prestation de service unique (PSU)
- prestation d'accueil du jeune enfant (PAJE), which enables families to benefit from subsidies to reduce the cost of childcare.
This phenomenon is prompting many private players to enter this booming market.
French players are innovating by diversifying their offer. Day-care centers offering original educational projects, whether centered on ecology, music or foreign languages, are attracting more and more parents.
In September 2024, Victor Castanet, who revealed the Orpéa scandal in 2022, released Les Ogres.In this book, he recounts the major structural dysfunctions present in today's crèches, including a shortage of childcare professionals, scandals, a lack of food for the children... revealing the failings of the system.
1.2 The French market has shown strong growth in recent years
Let's take a look at the size of the crèche market in France.
By ****, crèches are expected to generate sales of almost *.* billion euros , and this figure is rising steadily, as the graph below shows.
Size of the private daycare market France, ****-****, millions of euros Source: ****
The first ...
1.3. The different types of crèches in France
Since the early ****s, a new type of crèche has emerged in France, competing with public crèches.
In France, crèches can be divided into three main categories:
public crèches private crèches community crèches
Below is a breakdown of crèches in France, according to the ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand still outstrips supply
a falling birth rate in France and a consequent drop in the number of potential day-nursery customers
In ****, the number of births in France will continue to fall, with only ***,*** new births recorded, a drop of almost *% compared to ****.
Number of births in France France, ****-****, in thousands Source: ****
In addition, ...
2.2 Day-care centers: in vogue
Let's take a look at the breakdown between different types of childcare in ****. We can see that the majority of children will still be looked after by their families (***).
Breakdown of childcare options in France in **** France, ****, % of total Source: ****
According to an IPSOS survey, for the majority of French people, ...
2.3. Sociological analysis of parents who send their children to crèches
The graph below shows that there is a real social disparity in access to crèches in France.
Analysis of occupation of parents of children in day-care centers France, ****, in Source: ****
We can see that the majority of children come from managerial or white-collar families, with nearly **% between them.
We can ...
2.4. Day-nursery satisfaction marred by scandals
Parents' satisfaction with crèches
Parents' confidence in crèches remains very high, despite the shortage of professionals. **% are very satisfied.
Level of confidence (***) when leaving your child at a crèche France, ****, in Source: ****
Similarly, parents continue to appreciate the professional teams. However, more than * out of * parents give them ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Types of financing
Let's take a look at the value chain in the nursery market.
Source: ****
Municipal crèches under public service delegation (***) ;
These are traditional neighborhood crèches, operated by a private player on behalf of a local authority. This is possible within the framework of a public service delegation (***) for operations. For ...
3.2 Childcare financing methods
How is a crèche financed?
In France, the financing of day-care centers is quite complex. In fact, it combines funding from families, reservation employers and a number of public bodies: CNAF (***), the State and local authorities. The aim of this section is therefore to provide an overview of the different ...
3.3 A structural weakness: a lack of professionals
Let's begin by analyzing the breakdown of professionals by position.
Breakdown of training courses for nursery managers France, ****, in Source: ****
We can divide ECEC staff into two categories:
Category * qualified staff Staff with a qualification defined by decree
Within an EAJE, at least **% of the staff responsible for supervising children must ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Supply typology: between concentration and the desire to diversify
The private day nursery market in France is highly concentrated. Only * major crèche groups share the market in France:
The Babilou group: network of almost *,*** establishments throughout France, present in ** countries. The Grandir - Les Petits Chaperons Rouges group: manages *** establishments, with an international presence (***). La Maison Bleue group: manages ...
4.2 Price typology
The rate is regulated by the CAF, so the Babilou website offers a price simulator that gives us the following table of prices in ****.
Source: ****
The formula used is as follows
(***)
Example: If a family has * children, a net monthly income of €*,*** and would like to have their child looked ...
4.3 Trends in nursery provision in France
Decline in overall supply, but increase in the ECEC sector
There has been a decline in the total number of places for all formal childcare options, as shown in the graph below.
Trend in total number of places in formal childcare facilities France, ****, in millions Source: ****
At the same time, however, ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Legal framework and standards
Quality standards
An EAJE can only be managed by a doctor, a nursery nurse with * years' experience, or an early childhood educator with * years' experience in structures with fewer than ** places.
If an EAJE has more than ** places, an early childhood educator is mandatory.
If an EAJE exceeds ** places, a sub-directorate ...
5.2 Decree of August 30, 2021 on childcare assistants and childcare establishments
The French Secretary of State for Children and Families, Adrien Taquet, has published the texts of the **** reform of childcare arrangements, known as NORMA.
These texts propose limits at national level for the following elements :
the number of micro-crèche places (***) attendance times for the various players (***) mandatory mentions in facility ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Grandir Groupe -Les petits chaperons rouges
- Babilou Groupe
- Crèche Attitude Liveli (Sodexo)
- People and Baby (Holding)
- La Maison Bleue
- Léa et Léo
- Les P'tits Babadins
- Rigolo Comme La Vie
- Les Petites Canailles
- Zazzen
- Tom & Josette
- Croc La Vie
- Cap Enfants
- O P'tit Môme
- Callihop
- Kangourou Kids
List of charts presented in this market study
- Number of places offered by private day-care centers
- Size of the private daycare market
- Breakdown of different types of childcare in France in 2021
- The transition to crèche: an essential stage in a child's development
- Change in the number of children under 3 years old attending day care centers on weekdays
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Latest news
Day nursery scandal: People & Baby, symbol of a sick system, once again in turmoil - 19/09/2024
- People & Baby is suspected of having implemented a "low-cost" operating model.
- - Founded in the early 2000s
- - People & Baby's international expansion from 2015 includes countries such as China, Singapore, Dubai, Luxembourg, and the United States, supported by a 500 million euro loan, excluding interest, from Alcentra.
- - By 2023, People & Baby's sales had risen to 475 million euros, with a total of 11,000 employees (6,000 in France and 5,000 abroad) and the management of almost 700 crèches (600 in France and around 100 internationally).
- - To bypass calls for tenders closed to private crèches, People & Baby set up an association in 2011, a strategy that is not illegal but has caused tension with the French Federation of Crèche Companies.
- - Faced with a refusal to release the final tranche of a 12.9 million loan from Alcentra (bought by Franklin Templeton), People & Baby stopped paying interest on its debt, leading to the ousting of Christophe Durieux from the group's management.
- - Les Petits Chaperons Rouges operates 1,200 nurseries and kindergartens worldwide, while People & Baby manages around 20 facilities in the United States.
People & Baby's crèches are the envy of the world - 27/06/2024
- People & Baby:
- - Daycare centers managed: 762 worldwide, including 583 in France.
- - Children cared for in France: 14,000.
- - Principal shareholder: Founding couple, with 100% of capital, less one preference share.
- - Amount of debt: 500 million euros with Alcentra.
- - Percentage of voting rights acquired by Alcentra: 75%.
- Competitors - Babilou: Interested in assets in Dubai.
- - Groupe Grandir (Les Petits Chaperons Rouges): Interested in American facilities.
- - Busy Bees
People & Baby founder ousted - 24/04/2024
- - Christophe Durieux, founder of People & Baby, owns 80% of the group's capital.
- - People & Baby has debts of 400 million euros.
- - People & Baby's creditors now have 75% of the voting rights, following a decision taken at the Annual General Meeting.
Daycare centers: Cap Enfants resists thanks to its "musical bubble" model - 16/04/2024
- **Year Cap Enfants was founded**: 2005
- - **Number of crèches**: 8
- - **Total number of cribs**: 350
- - **Location**: Paris region
- - **Cost of building a crèche**: Between 500,000 and 1 million euros
- - **Financing** :
- - Cap Enfants : Purchase and fitting-out of premises using own funds and bank loans
- - User companies: 50% of operating costs
- - Caisse d'allocations familiales: 25% of operating costs
- - Parents: 25% of operating costs (depending on income)
- - **Company reservation**: 10 to 50 cribs per crèche for several years
- - **Cost of a cradle after tax exemption** : Between 3,700 and 4,200 euros per year (i.e. between 16 and 18 euros per day per child)
- - **Total number of employees**: 115
Workforce shortage: private daycare centers face training headache - 15/04/2024
- les Petits Chaperons Rouges , one of France's largest private crèche groups. Headed by a network of 850 crèches under its own name, 2,200 partner crèches and 9,000 employees, the company, which generated sales of 450 million euros in 2023
- the early childhood sector employs 150,000 people
- the private childcare sector, which accounts for 40% of the 480,000 crèche places in France, does its best to offer training courses to its employees and students.
Contract catering: Croc La Vie acquires a second kitchen to serve more crèches - 11/03/2024
- Date Croc La Vie founded: 2009
- - Number of current customers: 310 nurseries
- - Number of children fed daily: 5,500
- - Sales in 2022: 4 million
- - Sales in 2023: 4.57 million (up 10%)
- - Current workforce: 48 employees
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the market for private nurseries | France
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