Canary Islands Launches 2025 Childcare Voucher for Santa Cruz Families

The Canary Islands Government has launched its 2025 Childcare Voucher scheme, now open for applications. This support is for families with children aged 0 to 3 in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The voucher aims to help with the cost of nursery education, either fully or partially, at various local council schools and approved private centers across Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. Hundreds of families in the province are expected to benefit, making schooling more affordable and helping parents balance work and family life.

This scheme, for the 2025-2026 academic year, has a total budget of 5 million euros. It will be valid from September 1, 2025, until June 30, 2026. To be eligible, children must have been born on or after January 1, 2023, and be enrolled in the first stage of early childhood education.

David Rego, who coordinates the General Directorate of Center Administration, School Enrollment, and Complementary Services, explained that "thanks to this voucher, no family will miss out on a crucial educational stage because of money." He also stressed that the program "invests in equal opportunities from a young age and truly supports Canarian families in balancing their work and home lives."

The number of early childhood education centers across the islands is expanding. This year, more local councils in the province have joined the scheme. Overall, the number of public and private nurseries participating in the Childcare Voucher program across the Canary Islands has grown from 119 to 125 – six more than last year. In the Santa Cruz de Tenerife province specifically, 83 educational centers are now part of the scheme; a full list of these centers is available for reference.

The value of the Childcare Voucher will vary based on a household's income.

Applications must be submitted within 10 working days from the day after the official announcement appears in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC). To apply, families should use the Government of the Canary Islands' online portal, selecting the procedure titled 'Subsidies aimed at promoting early schooling in early childhood education schools and authorized private centers (9912)'.

Through this initiative, the regional government aims to ensure that children have access to early childhood education from a young age, which is a crucial period for their emotional and mental development. The 2025 Childcare Voucher also helps improve work-life balance for families in Santa Cruz de Tenerife province, easing the burden of high schooling costs and showing the government's dedication to providing equal educational opportunities across the entire Canary Islands.