Paris

Mother-Toddler Groups

• Message, 01.58.60.00.53, (http://www.messageparis.org) This is a mother and father support group in Paris which offers a staggering number of events, groups, activities, classes and lectures, including a regular series of parent-toddler groups. Membership fees are €69/year.
• Gymboree, 4 rue Louis Armand, 75015 Paris, 01.40.71.61.60, 18 avenue de la Jonchère,
  78170 La Celle Saint Cloud, 01.40.71.61.60, and Le Jardin d’Acclimatation (http://www.gymboree-france.com/) Gymboree offers play classes and mother-toddler groups; the website is in French only but many clients are expats.
• English Speaking Mums of Paris (http://www.meetup.com/English-Speaking-Mums-of-Paris) is a Meetup Paris group which meets frequently in different areas on different days of the week. Members can either join an activity (coffee, visit to kid-friendly venue, etc) or propose one themselves.

Most Parisian families have two working parents, so daycare is available in many forms. Aside from the listings below, keep in mind that word-of-mouth recommendations from colleagues, neighbors and fellow members of clubs and organizations are often excellent sources for nannies, daycare, etc. Also, informal advertisements on sites such as Craigslist (http://paris.craigslist.fr) or FUSAC (http://www.fusac.fr) have many postings under ‘Childcare’ by those seeking or offering childcare work. The American Church at 65 Quai Orsay in the 7th has a bulletin board where families can post help-wanted advertisements; it is frequented by many an unemployed nanny. Nannies are quite common, especially for school drop-offs/pickups and Wednesdays, when most French children have no school. Please see the Babysitting section for more information.

Nannies/Au Pairs

• Family Space, 140 bis, Rue De Rennes, 75006, Paris, 01.49.11.51.66 (http://www.family-space.fr) This agency meets with families, creates a profile and then provides candidates to interview. It works with families and au paris who are searching for live-in, full-time, live-out, part-time and every other childcare need in between.
• Great Au Pair (http://www.greataupair.com/aupair-nanny/Ile-de-France/Paris.htm) is an online search tool where available child care providers list their profiles.
• Nannies Incorporated, 6 rue Vineuse, 75016 Paris, 01.45.74.62.74 (http://www.nanniesinc.com/) This agency, with offices in London, Dubai and Paris, specializes in professionally certified nannies, whether daily or live-in. English and French speaking nannies are available.

Daycare

• Assistantes maternelles are registered childcare providers who take care of children in their homes. The mairie of each arrondissement provides information on this service. Keep in mind, most of these assistants are French-speaking.
• Creches are available in each arrondissement, but availability is limited and long waiting lists are common. Register with the mairie as soon as you know you are pregnant, or as soon as you arrive in Paris. Priority is given to single mothers, low-income families and families with two working parents.
• Haltes-garderies accept children from 3-months to school age and you can leave your child two to three mornings or afternoons a week, sometimes for a full day. Your mairie will have the full list of accredited halte-garderies in your neighborhood. Fees are quite low; although they depend on whether the halte-garderie is private or state-financed and the range of activities offered, hourly fees may be as low as €6. Consult the following list to find the address, phone number and website of your mairie: (http://equipement.paris.fr/?tid=100). Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your arrondissement.

If you call the public creches/halte-garderies, most will refer you to the local mairie to register and then wait to hear if you get a place. At the mairie, many times, they will tell you that you do not stand a chance. While officially, you should follow this procedure, it is also helpful to visit the facility you would like to use in person and try to establish a personal connection. Try to get a sense of the person in charge and proceed from there. Some mothers have found that pleasant and reserved are the most efficient path to admittance; others try firm bordering on obsessive pestering; and still many others have played the desperate mom who would do anything for a few hours of peace. There are certainly ways around the official waiting lists, be persistent and creative and do not let yourself be disappointed or discouraged when you hear those first “no’s”.

The private daycare facilities are much easier to enter than the public system, but also more expensive. And, although easier, some may still have waiting lists. In both cases, reserve a place as early as you can and take any time slot that they offer in the beginning. Once you are in their system, you will then be in a more favorable position to request the hours that suit you. Here are popular, bi-lingual options in Paris.