Childcare: When Nursery Costs Limit Family Plans

Essential for the development of young children and the peace of mind of parents, private nurseries have fees that strain the finances of many households. Behind the smiles of children lies a challenging economic reality.

In Quatre-Bornes, in a small house rented for Rs 8,000 per month, the atmosphere is heavy. Marie, a 28-year-old young mother, is packing her bag to return to work after her maternity leave. Her four-month-old baby, still asleep, will be entrusted to a private nursery. "We have no choice," she sighs. Her husband, an employee at a company, earns Rs 25,000, while she earns Rs 20,000. Together, they make Rs 45,000 a month. However, after paying rent, bills, and groceries, the nursery fees of Rs 7,500 eat into what little remains.

In Port-Louis, in front of a nursery, a father shares that he had to give up buying a car because the fees consume his budget. A teacher mother confides that she and her husband have decided to have only one child: "We would have liked to have a big family, but nursery prices prevent us from doing so."

These testimonies show that couples, despite average incomes of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, struggle to make ends meet. The question remains: how to balance work, family life, and a tight budget? Nurseries, essential for allowing parents to work, paradoxically become a hindrance to family growth.

According to our small survey, private nurseries charge fees starting at Rs 3,000 per month, plus additional costs for materials used by the child. Each establishment sets its conditions based on parents' needs.

Leading the Bethléem nursery since 1979, Sylvette Paris-Davy emphasizes the responsibility of establishments: to offer an educational program tailored to individual needs. She claims her team is passionate about children's well-being. "A child who grows up in a healthy environment is a thriving child," she says. By age two, when leaving the nursery section, children must have reached the expected level: motor skills, autonomy, awareness, and cleanliness.

About 360 nurseries are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare. These must adhere to strict conditions. Managers must obtain a permit from local authorities, a health certificate, and a fire safety certificate. Facilities must provide 3.25 m² of interior space per child and 7 m² outside, be pest-free, and have appropriate equipment.

Staff must meet specific ratios: one adult for every four babies under one year, one for six children aged one to two years, and one for ten children aged two to three years. Employees must be medically fit and provide a character certificate. Food must be fresh, nutritious, and age-appropriate. Finally, nurseries must keep detailed records and renew their certificates every three years, or face fines of up to Rs 200,000 and prison sentences of up to five years.

These standards, essential for the safety and well-being of children, lead to high costs for managers, which are passed on to the fees paid by parents. These costs account for the rent of the premises, staff salaries, and other necessary expenses for the proper functioning of a nursery.

Even though the children are small, nurseries follow a daily schedule, arranged like a musical score. Working parents sometimes drop off their children as early as 7 a.m. and pick them up around 5:30 or 6 p.m., depending on agreements made with the staff. Days are filled with indoor and outdoor activities: singing, playing, sensory exercises. Children have their bottles or lunch, then are placed in their rest area. After waking up, new games are organized until parents arrive.

The 2025-26 Budget, presented by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, has maintained social allowances related to children and pregnancy but is set for a gradual reduction by 2027. The CSG Child Allowance will decrease from Rs 1,667 per child in 2025-26 to Rs 833 in 2026-27, while the Pregnancy Care Allowance will drop from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,000. Other aids, such as the Maternity Allowance or the School Allowance, will follow the same trend.

Municipal Nurseries

The municipalities of Port-Louis and Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill also host children in nurseries. According to official figures, the Port-Louis municipality has five nurseries, while Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill has three. It appears that parents can enroll their child in one of these nurseries, provided they can prove they live nearby.