Raising children in Greece

Daycare in Greece

It is an inside joke among Greeks that the best childcare is grandparents. Indeed, in this nuclear type of Mediterranean family, a lot of retired grandmothers will assume the responsibility of looking after the children when the mother gets back to work — many of them will even relocate so that they're closer to the area their children and grandchildren reside. Sometimes, their children will invite them to come and live with them, so they can be closer to look after their grandchildren.

There are several public childcare centers in Greece, with ninety-nine operating within the City of Athens boundaries. They are mostly state-funded and subsidized, but parents have to pay an average stipend of 70 euros per month, depending on their income. The waiting list is very long, and sometimes there are not enough places for kids. But if you manage to secure a spot, remember that public daycares end at 4 p.m., so it's quite challenging for working parents to make it without relying on family or a nanny for at least a couple of hours.

Private daycare in Greece costs 300-650 euros per month, and if you add that to the fact that currently, the minimum monthly wage in Greece is 780 euros, you can understand the struggle and why many women choose to quit their jobs to raise their children themselves. However, private daycare centers tend to be more flexible with hours and offer children a wider variety of activities and services for children.

Another childcare option in Greece is a nanny, which can cost 400-900 euros monthly. Unfortunately, no government agency runs checks or provides certifications for private daycare centers or nannies, so you'll have to rely on friends' experiences and word of mouth. Then again, there are several websites, such as Nannuka, which is the most comprehensive and popular Nanny/carer website in Greece. Other websites include Aupair.com and GreatAuPair (note that these last two websites are more orientated to foreigners in Greece, but they can still work for locals, too). These websites can connect you with a network of nannies and tutors you can later rate and evaluate.

Preschooling in Greece

Pre-school (proskolikos, προσχολικός) is not mandatory in Greece. If your child is at least two-and-a-half years of age, they can be enrolled in either public or private preschools, some of which have nursery classes as well as kindergartens (nipiagogeio or νηπιαγωγείο). To register your child at a nursery in Greece, you will need an application form, your child's birth certificate and their health booklet (e-biliario), and sometimes their passport. Once your child reaches the age of five years and six months on 1 October, you should enroll them in primary school for the upcoming year, which in Greek is known as dimotiko skoleio or δημοτικό σχολείο.

Child-friendly activities in Greece

Depending on the area you live in, there are usually many activities you can enjoy with your young ones — from taking them to visit one of the country's many museums to exploring nature to playing at a playground. There are many free, open-air playgrounds, especially in the big cities, and you will usually find them as standalone playparks, or they can be found within Greece's parks. You can find some great ones in Athens, especially at Zappeion near the National Garden, which is large and modern with a multi-use play area and is hugely popular all year round.

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The National Garden close by is a great place to take a visit with children — it's full of palm trees and has a small wildlife area with birds and a pond that has turtles and ducks, that will pique your children's curiosity. Besides these natural areas, there is also a playpark in the National Garden with a sandbox, along with a children's library, café and museum of Botany. There are also several amusement and water parks across the country that the little ones can enjoy, especially in the spring and summer months. Allou amusement park in Athens is a small theme park, perfect for families with children, and it is fairly cheap too, with entry costing as little as 12 euros, plenty of fun roller coaster rides to experience, and only small waiting times if you decide to visit on a weekday.

Good to know:

Greece remains a smoking country. Although some restaurants have allocated specific smoking and non-smoking zones, these are usually next to one another. Usually, if asked, most people will be willing to put out their cigarette so that it doesn't bother the child, but this is something you'll have to deal with on a case-by-case basis.

How to adopt a child in Greece

Adoption in Greece is regulated by the Greek Civil Code and is managed by the Greek Central Authority for Adoption (KADY).

The adoption process was notoriously lengthy, with lots of bureaucracy and red tape. It used to take up to six years to adopt a child in Greece. However, with the introduction of these new laws, parents only have to wait for 8-12 months. However, since 2018, new laws in Greece have come into force to remove some of these bureaucratic processes to make adoption procedures more efficient for children and prospective foster/adoptive parents.

To adopt a Greek child, you must be a Greek citizen (and currently, it's a very hard and long process to acquire Greek citizenship) or a resident with Greek heritage. An exception can be made if the child has health problems or special needs or if the child is of non-Greek origin. Furthermore, you must be between the ages of 30 and 60 to adopt, marry, or be in a committed relationship for at least five years or be single. Keep in mind that although Greece allows same-sex civil unions, Greek Family Law does not allow same-sex couple adoptions (so legally, it will be considered a single adoption by one of the partners).

Read also Getting married in Greece

Finally, you must provide evidence of financial stability and meet health and character requirements for adoption. Although there is no religious requirement in order to adopt a child in Greece, preference is given to prospective adoptive parents of the Greek Orthodox faith.

The adoption process in Greece is as follows:

• An application must be submitted to the Greek Central Authority for Adoption (KADY)
• Then KADY will organize the completion of a home visit, as well as background checks
• The applicant parent(s) are also obliged to attend some informational and training sessions so they can be prepared for the adoption.
• The process then takes place to match the applicant with a child
• Next, a trial period needs to be completed, where the child will live with their prospective adoptive parents
• The final step is through the courts and KADY, where the parents and child (where applicable) attend a hearing to make the adoption official in the eyes of the law.

Also, adoption in Greece can be national or international, i.e., children from Greece or abroad. In the case of international adoptions in Greece, these are held to the conditions of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

Good to know:

Although Greece is a signatory of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, domestic adoption procedures may allow birth mothers to relinquish their parental rights to a child before giving birth.