Since the start of the 2019 school year, compulsory education begins at 3 years. This change has transformed kindergarten: regular attendance is no longer just a recommendation; it falls under the same legal framework as elementary school. Timetables to be respected, absences to be justified, regulated exemptions—families often discover these obligations at the time of the first enrollment.
Preschool and afternoon attendance obligation: what the regulatory framework says
The law of July 26, 2019, for a school of trust lowered the age of compulsory education from 6 to 3 years. One point regularly generates misunderstandings: the morning half-day is not sufficient to fulfill this obligation.
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A written question posed to the Senate in 2023 allowed the ministry to clarify the situation. No national text provides for an automatic right to attend only in the morning in preschool. Parents who wish to pick up their child at midday must obtain explicit agreement from the school’s principal.
This exemption remains individual and temporary. It is based on the child’s interest (fatigue, gradual adaptation) and not on family convenience. The principal can refuse it or terminate it during the school year. To delve deeper into the schedules and absences in preschool on Carnet de Bébé, the topic is detailed there with specific cases related to naptime and the rhythms of young children.
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Comparison of attendance obligations: before and after 2019
The table below compares the two systems to measure the extent of the change.
| Criterion | Before 2019 (compulsory education at 6 years) | Since 2019 (compulsory education at 3 years) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entry age | 6 years (kindergarten optional) | 3 years |
| Justification of absences | Not required in kindergarten | Mandatory, as in elementary school |
| Afternoon attendance (preschool) | Free, without formalities | Subject to the principal’s agreement for any exemption |
| Sanctions in case of repeated absenteeism | None in kindergarten | Same procedure as in elementary school (reporting possible) |
| Class hours | Set by the school, attendance not monitored | Set by the school, compliance with schedules required |
The shift is clear. Before 2019, a family could enroll their 3-year-old child for three mornings a week without any administrative consequences. This is no longer the case.
Absences in kindergarten: reporting procedure and thresholds to know
The attendance control mechanism operates in stages. It does not directly lead to a sanction, but the reporting chain follows a precise process.
- From the first unjustified absence, the teacher contacts the family to obtain a reason. A medical certificate is not systematically required, but the reason must be acceptable (illness, family obligation, medical appointment).
- When unjustified absences reach a cumulative total deemed significant over a month, the principal sends a reminder letter to the parents and informs the inspector of national education (IEN).
- If absenteeism persists despite dialogue, the IEN can refer the case to the academic director of national education services (DASEN), who has the option to initiate an administrative procedure.
In practice, for a preschool child, teams prefer dialogue. The complete procedure remains rare at this level. It exists for cases where the child is enrolled but hardly ever attends school, without any alternative education being declared.
Acceptable absence reasons and rejected reasons
The accepted reasons are those provided by the Education Code: child’s illness, solemn family meeting, transport-related hindrance, medical appointment that cannot be rescheduled. However, family vacations outside school periods or chronic fatigue without medical advice do not constitute acceptable reasons.
Organization of school hours in kindergarten: what varies from one school to another
Class hours are set by the DASEN, based on the proposal of the school council. The weekly duration of teaching is identical for all public kindergartens: 24 hours spread over 4 days or 4 and a half days, depending on the organization chosen by the municipality.
The difference lies in the distribution. In a municipality operating on 4 days, the days are longer. In a 4 and a half day organization, Wednesday morning frees up time at the end of the afternoon on other days.
For parents of a preschool child, the choice of organization directly impacts the question of naptime. On a long day (4 days), naptime sometimes ends after 3 PM, making it difficult to leave early without disrupting the group. In a 4.5-day rhythm, the afternoon period is shorter and fatigue management is more flexible.
Supervision and responsibility during school hours
The school principal is responsible for organizing reception and supervision. Teachers ensure this supervision for the entire duration the child is entrusted to the establishment, including during recess and supervised activities. Other staff (municipal agents, external facilitators, volunteer chaperones during outings) share this obligation when they participate in supervision.
Supervision is continuous and does not suffer interruption, regardless of the location (playground, classroom, motor skills room). A child entrusted to the school remains under the establishment’s responsibility until an authorized adult comes to pick them up.
The lowering of compulsory education to 3 years has aligned kindergarten with the elementary school regime regarding attendance, absence justifications, and supervision responsibility. The only remaining flexibility, the afternoon exemption in preschool, depends exclusively on the principal’s decision, on a case-by-case basis.