How does after-school care (maison relais) work and how do I get a place?

A maison relais looks after school children outside class hours and during the school holidays. It is run at commune level (in the City of Luxembourg it is called a foyer scolaire), and the admission criteria are set by the commune or by the service's manager. Some services only take children who live or go to school in that commune.

What it costs:

• For children in compulsory school (age 4 before 1 September), care is free during school weeks, Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 19:00, whatever the household income. Précoce pupils are not included.
• Hours outside that window, and care during the school holidays, are charged under the chèque-service accueil (CSA).
• Lunch is also free during school periods. In the holidays, free meals are only for households earning less than twice the social minimum wage.

How to get a place:

• Join the CSA at your commune of residence, or at the CAE if you live abroad and work in Luxembourg.
• Ask your commune administration how to register for its maisons relais. Joining the CSA does not guarantee a place: children are admitted depending on free places and the service's priorities.
• Register early. Dates, documents and priority rules are set locally, so check them with your own commune.

An example of how it can work: the City of Luxembourg took pre-registrations for the 2026-2027 school year from 23 February to 27 March 2026 (13 to 24 April for précoce pupils). The documents included a copy of the CSA registration and a social security certificate. Most families heard at the end of June whether they had a place or were on a waiting list, and pre-registration has to be repeated every year. Your commune's calendar may be quite different.