GRANTEES WITH CHILDREN

We recommend that all grantees coming with family members have in their possession upon arrival in France at least $2,000 for their spouse/partner and $1,000 for each child. Grantees will find that the above figures are the absolute minimum for providing for their dependents, since the cost of living in France is high.

Preparing your children for life in France 

• • • Look up French children’s songs on YouTube (Monde des Titounis, Les Patapons, Les comptines de Gabriel…)

    • Read children’s books set in France. If you can’t easily access French children’s books, there is always: the Madeline series (L. Bemelmans), Linnea in Monet’s Garden (C. Björk), This is Paris (M. Sasek), Eloise in Paris (K. Thompson)…

    • Watch children's movies: Le Petit Nicolas, Une Vie de Chat, Ernest & Célestine, Un Monstre à Paris...or even Ratatouille 

    • Play with educational websites such as: https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtml 

    • Free ‘learn French’ podcasts can be downloaded through iTunes (see  Learning French)

If your child is going into second grade (CE1) or above, s/he should know how to write in cursive, as all French children are taught this skill in the first grade (CP). 

Childcare

For babysitting, check out classified ads in such resources as www.fusac.fr, or inquire with local study abroad programs to see if any of their students would be available for babysitting, such as:

• • • Student Affairs Office American University of Paris
      102, rue St. Dominique 75007 Paris
      Tel: 01.40.62.06.30
      studentaffairs@aup.fr  

    • Students on the EDUCO (Emory, Duke, Cornell, and Tulane) Study Abroad Program
      89, rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine 75011 Paris
      info@educo.fr 

Some cities offer assistance in helping families find babysitters; inquire with your local city hall (mairie). Babysitting rates are around 7-10 Euros per hour. 

Au pair arrangements with college students are possible in university towns. Although conditions vary, the average is 180 euros per month plus room, board and social security payments in exchange for part-time light housework and daytime childcare. It is also possible to arrange part-time help in exchange for room and board. Check out local bulletin boards for ads. 

Otherwise, some of the more popular websites for finding nannies/child care providers are: 

• https://kinougarde.com/

• http://www.yoopies.fr

• http://www.yoopala.com/

• https://www.nounou-top.fr/

For any childcare solution, you may use an agency rather than relying on classified ads. This is a more costly option but often a safer and more hassle-free one. The agency will conduct background checks for you and will find a replacement if you are unsatisfied with your current nanny/babysitter/au pair.

There are private and public day care centers, both full- (crèches) and part-time (haltes-garderies or jardins d’enfants). Look up your local city hall’s website for a directory and contact information.

Your local city hall can also give you information about assistantes maternelles (childcare providers inspected by and registered with the city that look after 2 or 3 children under the age of 3 in their home) and nanny shares with other families.

For before- and after-school care (accueil périscolaire) and childcare during school vacations, inquire at the local mairie if you are enrolling your children in the public school system. Otherwise, see with the school directly.

For more general information on childcare in France, see https://www.welcometofrance.com/en/fiche/childcare-options-for-children-under-school-age. 

For Paris-specific details, see https://access.ciup.fr/en/practical-information/childcare-centres-for-infants-and-young-children/. Your local Euraxess center can also guide and assist you.

Activities

Extracurricular activities for children tend to be very reasonably priced, and (if run through the city) offered at a sliding scale rate according to salary. Check with your mairie for information on local offerings, or attend the local Forum des Associations. Swimming, judo, soccer, dance, music, chess, visual arts....there is something for everyone. Wednesdays and Saturdays are popular days for extracurriculars.

Baby food

Families with babies will be able to find a supply of various types of powdered formulas, including newborn formula, in all pharmacies and supermarkets. For baby food (including organic options) and liquid formula, see your local supermarket.

Play in the city

Once in France, you will probably live with less space than you had in the U.S., with more restrictions on city park play, less big muscle equipment like jungle gyms. Packing a few familiar toys may help children feel at home. However, in France it is easy to find art supplies, toys, games, and books.

See http://www.familiscope.fr/sorties-famille/ for ideas of kid-friendly activities and destinations in France.

In Paris

To search for parks near you in Paris, see https://www.parisinfo.com/decouvrir-paris/parcs-et-jardins.

There are several English-language book stores in Paris (e.g., Shakespeare & Company, Smith & Son). English-language storytime is on offer at the American Library in Paris.

Traveling with children

Aside from traveling by car, French railroads are excellent and some TGVs have a special area for children to play. You can also reserve special “carré ou famille” seats when booking train journeys that are especially adapted for families. 

Here are some tips on traveling with kids: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/france-with-kids 

Ideas for places to travel with kids in France: https://www.france.fr/fr/profil-en-famille