Free Childcare Service at Home in Málaga: How and When to Apply

Summer can be a headache in many households due to the difficulty of balancing work with school holidays. To try to make this situation more bearable, the City Council of Málaga is putting out to tender the provision of a free childcare service at home.

This is part of the 'Nos cuidamos' program aimed at children aged between four months and ten years, or up to 16 years in the case of minors with special needs. It is configured as a temporary service, not a structural one, that will address short-term needs from Monday to Sunday from 07:00 to 21:00 hours (including holidays), with beneficiaries receiving between three and seven hours daily, according to a statement issued by the City Council.

The activities at the family home will be adapted to the age of the minors and will include recreational, artistic, and creative activities, story reading, feeding, and hygiene. Similarly, activities outside the home in nearby environments (gardens or playgrounds) or pickup from centers or activities aimed at them are also planned.

The provision of this service has been tendered with a budget of 149,541.12 euros (VAT included) with an execution period planned between June 1 and September 25. The deadline for submitting bids remains open until March 31.

Requirements and beneficiaries

Reasons for requesting this aid include attending work, an occupational training course or job interviews, mandatory attendance at any public or private entity, social, cultural, or sports participation; or other personal needs or circumstances duly accredited which will be evaluated by the municipal technical team.

Access to these services will consider income level as a preferential criterion, prioritizing the following circumstances: single-parent families, people with disabilities in the family unit, large families, family units with other care-related responsibilities, women victims of gender-based violence and other forms of violence against women, people at risk of social exclusion, and the level of income and family burdens. In any case, it is a temporary service aimed at facilitating family reconciliation and extraordinary needs and circumstances, not something structural.

As in last year's edition, access to the service will be made through the corresponding application which, when operational, will be enabled on the website of the Plan Málaga Ciudad Corresponsable https://malagaciudadcorresponsable.eu/ and will require the consent of all legal guardians of the minors, who will be selected following the mentioned criteria of preference.

Sociocultural Camps

Alongside this home babysitting service 'Nos cuidamos', the City Council will also offer free sociocultural camps this summer through the Plan Málaga Ciudad Corresponsable.

The total budget is 680,344.83 euros, of which 566,204.13 will be financed through a grant awarded to the City Council by the Junta de Andalucía, under the Corresponsables Plan promoted by the Ministry of Equality with the aim of articulating mechanisms to support the specific needs of family reconciliation with minors up to 16 years old or up to 21 in case of disability.

It is a daytime childcare service for minors from three to 16 years old or up to 21 in case of disability, in public spaces, through the realization of recreational, educational, cultural camps and the promotion of co-responsibility and diversity. It will take place during the summer period, from June 29 to August 28, 2026, from Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 17:00 hours according to the needs of the applicant families. The total number of places to be provided throughout the service amounts to 750. This camp will also include a series of workshops, activities, outings, and excursions to museums, cinemas, natural parks, beaches, or sports facilities. The development of this action is in the contracting phase with a budget of 379,824.09 euros (VAT included).