Staff ratios and standards in Maltese childcare centres
What the law actually requires: how many children one educator may look after, what qualifications staff need, and how much space each child must have.
Every licensed childcare centre in Malta works to the same national minimum standards. Knowing them makes it much easier to ask a centre useful questions.
How many children to one educator
The ratio depends on the age of the children, and on whether the educator has an assistant with them.
| Age | Per qualified educator | Educator + assistant |
|---|---|---|
| 0–12 months | 1 : 3 | 1 : 5 |
| 13–24 months | 1 : 5 | 1 : 8 |
| 25–36 months | 1 : 6 | 1 : 10 |
| Mixed group | 1 : 6 | 1 : 10 |
In a mixed-age group, only one child may be under eighteen months.
Qualifications
- Childcare educator — a minimum MQF Level 4 qualification with at least 60 ECTS in Early Childhood Education and Care.
- Centre manager — a minimum MQF Level 5 with at least 60 ECTS, including leadership and management, plus at least a year of experience.
- Assistants must be enrolled in training at MQF Level 3, and at least half of a centre's staff must be Level 4 educators.
All staff need a valid paediatric first aid certificate, a food handling certificate, and clearance under the Protection of Minors Act, renewed annually.
Space, hours and care
- 5 m² of accessible space per child.
- A key carer is assigned to each child, and is the person who handles their feeding, changing and napping — so your child has one consistent adult, not whoever is free.
- The standards recommend that a child under three spends no more than 45 hours a week in childcare.
- Centres must hold a current health and safety risk assessment, and have written policies covering child protection, medication, accidents, fire evacuation and uncollected children.
Using this when you visit
These are minimums, not targets. Some centres staff above them. Worth asking:
- How many children are in my child's room, and how many adults?
- Who would my child's key carer be?
- How many of the staff in that room hold the Level 4 qualification?
- What happens when someone is off sick — how is the ratio kept?
Figures on this page come from the National Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care Services (0–3 Years), published by the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education in October 2021. They are the national minimum that applies to every licensed centre — not a claim about any particular centre.
Last updated 23 Aug 2026. childcare.mt is independent and not affiliated with any government body.