The Nursery School Mosta Baby Care

For many British parents in Malta, the hardest part of returning to work is finding somewhere that will look after a very young baby. The Nursery School Mosta Baby Care is built for exactly that situation. It is a centre on Htajriet Street in Mosta that takes babies only, from the age of three months, and it is one of five centres run by The Nursery School group across the north and centre of the island.

Mosta is best known for the vast domed church at the heart of the town, and it lies close to the old capital, which our Mdina guide describes. The baby centre is listed among our nurseries in Malta, where you can see other childcare options.

A centre just for babies

The group separates its youngest children from the rest. This centre is for babies from three months to the first birthday, while older children go to the group's main Mosta centre a short distance away on the same street, which takes one to three year olds. Keeping infants together means the setting, routines and staffing can be arranged around the needs of the very young rather than adapted from a toddler room.

The group has more than ten years of experience, and its centres are certified and licensed by the Ministry of Education. Its team is qualified, and the aim is to give each child a safe and caring place to learn and play while growing in confidence. Specific room layouts, staffing ratios and daily timetables are not published, so ask when you enquire.

The Free Childcare Scheme and private places

Places here come in two forms. The first is the Government's Free Childcare Scheme, which covers children from three months to three years and lets eligible families use childcare without paying fees. The centre will check eligibility if you get in touch. The second is private childcare, offered at affordable rates. No prices are printed, so you will need to ask for the rates and packages.

The scheme has its own application form, and the group offers it as a download. It asks for details of the child and of both parents or guardians, the centre chosen, and the number of days and hours needed each month. The paperwork depends on circumstances. Employees provide recent payslips and a letter from their employer about working hours, self-employed parents provide a tax return or proof of contributions, and students provide a statement from their college. Foreigners working in Malta must be registered with Jobsplus and provide their employment history, which is worth knowing if you have recently moved from the UK. Our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK covers the wider move, and our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals explains how tax and contributions work.

Families can also complete a transfer declaration if they move from one centre to another within the scheme, and a termination form if they end their application.

Getting started and fitting in with family life

The group's online registration asks for the child's date of birth, the age group, the days of the week needed from Monday to Saturday, and start and end times for each day. Choosing between the free scheme and private care is part of the same form. Because hours are agreed with each family, the centre can suit parents who work office hours as well as those on shifts.

Help for families new to Malta

If you are setting up a business or arranging your finances in Malta alongside the childcare search, the specialists at CLA Malta support company, tax and relocation questions, while Accounting Services and Alecta Advisors, a mortgage advisory firm, are listed in our directory too. Families still sorting out residence paperwork may find ACC Malta Immigration Advisors helpful.

Once your baby is settled, local ideas for the weekend are close at hand. The Adventure Hub is a children's activity business around 1.4 km away, and Agenda Bookshop is a good place to pick up a first board book. To ask about a place for your baby, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the centre, which will reply to you directly.