Malaga opens free childcare application process for this summer: how to apply

The summer school holidays are here, which makes balancing work and family life more difficult for most households. To help alleviate the burden of finding a childcare option, Malaga city council is launching a free childcare service for the summer months.

Who can apply? Families with children between the ages of four months and ten years or up to 16 years of age in the case of children with special needs. They have to be registered Malaga residents.

The 'Nos cuidamos' ('We Take Care of Each Other') initiative is a one-off service that addresses short-term needs from Monday to Sunday, between 7am to 9pm (including holidays).

Every household can benefit from between three and seven hours per day. The service will run from 1 July to 25 September or until the 6,070 care hours in the contract are over.

Activities in the family home will be adapted to the children's ages and include recreational, artistic and creative activities, storytelling, meals and hygiene. The programme also includes activities outside the home, in gardens or playgrounds, and pick-up from centres or activities.

The city council's requirements for parents or guardians to be eligible for the service include proven need to attend work, an occupational training course or job interviews, mandatory attendance in any public or private body, social, cultural or sporting participation, and other duly accredited personal needs or circumstances that will be assessed by the municipal technical team.

The city council will also assess income levels, giving priority to the following circumstances: single-parent families, people with disabilities in the family unit, large families, family units in which there are other responsibilities related to care, women victims of gender-based violence and other forms of violence, people at risk of social exclusion.

Households can apply preferably through the equality section of the city council's online portal or via the link available on the Plan Málaga Ciudad Corresponsable website.

Applications can also be submitted in person at the registry offices, the various municipal service offices (OMAC) or through any of the means established by current regulations. In all cases, the consent of all legal guardians of the children will be required.

This initiative, along with another free camp service whose application period started at the end of May, is part of the third Plan Málaga Ciudad Corresponsable, which has a total budget of 680,344.83 euros.