Childcare

There is well developed day-care system for children under 3 years, organized in so-called crèches (żłobek) in Poland. They are run by the local municipal authorities and they are free of charge, except the alimentation costs. There is also a lot of private facilities concerning the day-care of the toddlers and there is no problem with finding a babysitter, using the local portals, newspapers or babysitting agencies.

A child aged 3 to 5 may attend a nursery school (przedszkole), which is not compulsory and the decision remains at its parents’ discretion. The nursery schools are run by State and private organizations or individual persons. Registers of State preschools within the territory of specific provinces are kept by the local educational authorities. Some private preschools run the activities with children in languages other than Polish.

Primary and secondary schools organise various extracurricular educational activities (for which parents usually pay a fee), such as special-interest clubs to develop the knowledge of specific school subjects, as well as sports and cultural and artistic activities (e.g. theatre, photography, painting). Numerous cultural centres and clubs and sports centres offer various courses and workshops where children can have active leisure in the afternoon and develop their interests under professional supervision.