Greece adjusts daycare rules to increase capacity
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Greece is changing regulations for daycare centers to allow more children to attend and to make better use of available space.
New rules will affect building capacity, outdoor areas, restrooms, dining areas, and staffing levels. Panagiotis Evangelίου, a mechanical engineer specializing in daycare licensing, notes that the key question is who can best take advantage of these changes when they take effect. For nearly a decade, a 2017 ministerial decision set the standards for establishing and operating private daycare facilities.
Over time, those rules created unnecessary difficulties in licensing and prevented the rational use of suitable buildings. The government is now making significant changes to this framework, having already transferred some administrative processes to a new regulatory system. Further changes to building specifications, capacity, and staffing are being finalized. These changes aren’t simply about lowering standards. Instead, officials aim to move away from rigid numerical requirements and focus on the practical operation of modern early childhood education facilities.
For example, the new regulations will allow for a 15% increase in capacity in the Attica region and Thessaloniki, compared to the current 10% limit. Changes also address requirements for entrance spaces, sleeping rooms, restrooms, and outdoor areas, offering more flexibility for daycare centers to adapt to their specific buildings and needs.
