Bali Family Day Care Guide (2026)

Bali day care comes in three forms: nannies (hourly bookings, any age, most flexible, costliest per hour), daycare centres (weekday full days, usually from 12–18 months, mid-range pricing), and preschools (term-based, ages 18 months to 6, shorter days, budget to premium). Canggu has the most centres, Sanur and Ubud fewer but steady, and Seminyak relies on nearby neighbourhoods for its childcare options.

The Reality of Day Care in Bali

"Day care" gets used as one word for three different services, and mixing them up is a common mistake new families make.

In-home nannies and babysitting agencies come to your villa and are booked by the hour. They're the only option that reliably covers babies under six months, sick days, and evenings — a daycare centre or preschool won't do any of those.

Daycare centres and kids clubs run Monday to Friday, with drop-off between roughly 8 and 9am and pickup anywhere from 2pm to 5:30pm, and most offer a half-day option. A few take babies from six months; most start somewhere between 12 and 18 months.

Preschools and playgroups are term-based rather than drop-in, typically Montessori, Reggio Emilia, British EYFS or play-based in approach, and cover ages 18 months to 6. Days are shorter, usually finishing by 2 or 3pm, because the focus is education, not full-day cover. A small number of drop-in centres in malls are the exception and run daily into the evening.

The trade-off newcomers miss: a preschool's 9am–2pm day doesn't cover a working parent's day on its own. Combining a morning preschool with an afternoon nanny rather than choosing one or the other works better once both parents work full-time. It also helps to decide this before you decide where to live — the area you pick determines how much choice you actually have.

What to Look For

Judge any option — nanny, centre or preschool — on the same handful of things, not on which one has the nicest marketing.

If You're Hiring a Nanny

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A nanny is only as reliable as the vetting behind her. Go through an agency with a background-check process, or if hiring independently, verify references by phone rather than by message, and run a paid trial day before committing to a full schedule. Put the job scope in writing: hours, duties, what happens on sick days, and whether she travels with the family. Splitting a nanny's hours and cost with another family is common and can make full-time cover affordable — see our nanny share guide for how that works in practice.

If You're Choosing a Daycare Centre

Ask about the age range actually enrolled right now, not just the age range advertised — a centre licensed for six-month-olds may have no infants currently in care, which changes the staff-to-baby ratio you'll actually get. Ask what a typical day looks like hour by hour, and whether meals are included or you pack your own.

If You're Choosing a Preschool

Ask which curriculum they follow and why, how they handle a child who isn't toilet-trained, and what the actual window is between drop-off and pickup — "term-based" programmes vary a lot in daily length. If you need coverage past 2 or 3pm, confirm there's an extended-care or aftercare option before you enrol, not after.

Hours and Cost (as of October 2026)

Fees across all three types fall into three broad bands rather than one fixed price:

• Budget — hourly nanny bookings, small play-based preschools, and pay-as-you-go drop-in play cafes.
• Mid-range — most full-day daycare centres and structured preschools with a set curriculum.
• Premium — enrolled preschool terms that include infant care, extended hours, or a full international curriculum.

What pushes a price from one band to the next is usually infant staffing ratios (babies and young toddlers need more staff per child), extended or evening hours, and curriculum overhead — imported materials, trained Montessori or EYFS staff, smaller class sizes.

Fees are set in rupiah and shift year to year, so we're not printing a number here that will be wrong by the time you read it. Ask every centre or agency you're considering for its current rate card and a trial day before you sign anything.

Licensing and Safety: Questions to Ask Before You Enrol

Ask these before you hand over a deposit, not after:

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• Which operating permit does the centre hold, and can they show it to you?
• Are staff background-checked, and by whom?
• Which staff hold current first aid and CPR certification?
• What's the child-to-carer ratio for your child's specific age group?
• What's the sick-child and fever policy — at what point do they call you?
• Which hospital or clinic do they use in an emergency, and how does a child get there?
• Who is authorised to collect your child, and how is that checked at pickup?
• If there's a pool, what are the supervision rules?
• How do you get updates during the day — app, photos, a call?
• Do they close for Nyepi, Galungan and Kuningan on top of the regular school calendar?

Requirements and permit categories shift, so confirm current rules with the provider directly rather than relying on what you read anywhere, including here.

Day care by area

Canggu

Canggu has the densest cluster of daycare centres on the island. Several take babies from six months. The trade-off is traffic: Jalan Raya Canggu and Batu Bolong get heavy with the school run between roughly 7:30 and 9am and again from 3 to 5pm, so factor that into your pickup plan. Childcare and daycare in Canggu

Sanur

Sanur has fewer centres than Canggu but they're steady and established, with curriculum options spanning British EYFS, Reggio Emilia and Montessori. Infant places from six months are rare here. The typical day runs 8am to 4pm on weekdays. Sanur is a significant drive from Canggu, so treating it as a cross-town daycare option for a Canggu-based family isn't realistic day to day. Childcare and daycare in Sanur

Seminyak

Seminyak doesn't have a large stand-alone daycare centre of its own. Families here typically use in-villa nanny agencies, plus centres a short drive away in Umalas and Kuta — including a mall drop-in option that runs daily into the evening, useful for odd hours a term-based preschool won't cover. Childcare and daycare in Seminyak

Ubud

Ubud has a small number of centres with a strong Montessori and nature-based lean. Days usually run from about 8:30 or 9am to 3pm. Parking in central Ubud is scarce, and seats tend to fill before the July–August arrivals wave, so apply earlier than you think you need to. Childcare and daycare in Ubud

At a Glance

• Canggu — most choice on the island; weekday centre hours; infant places from 6 months at several centres; budget to premium spread; best fit for families who want full-day cover close to home.
• Sanur — fewer centres but steady and established; standard 8am–4pm weekdays; infant places from 6 months are rare; mid-range to premium spread; best fit for families settled in Sanur who aren't commuting cross-town for childcare.
• Seminyak — no stand-alone centre of its own; relies on in-villa nannies plus nearby Umalas/Kuta, including one evening drop-in; budget (nanny hours) to premium (enrolled centres nearby); best fit for families who want flexible, hourly cover over a fixed daily schedule.
• Ubud — small, Montessori- and nature-leaning options; shorter days (8:30/9am–3pm); limited infant places; mid-range to premium spread; best fit for families prioritising curriculum style over hours or convenience.

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Practical Tips

• Book trial days before you commit to a term or a long-term nanny contract — a short trial surfaces mismatches a brochure never will.
• Apply for preschool seats well before July and August; that's when the annual arrivals wave fills waitlists island-wide.
• Get sick-day and emergency policies in writing, including which clinic or hospital a centre uses, before your child's first day — not after an incident.
• Build Nyepi, Galungan and Kuningan closures into your calendar at the start of the year; they fall outside the regular school calendar and catch new families out every time.
• If you're combining a preschool morning with an afternoon nanny, confirm handover logistics — who picks up, where, and what happens if either side runs late — in writing with both parties.
• Treat any nanny or centre fee you're quoted as current-month only; ask for a fresh rate card at renewal rather than assuming last year's number still holds.

A Conscious Note

Childcare in Bali runs on people, not just facilities, and the way you engage with that matters. Pay nannies and carers fairly and on time, treat sick leave and days off as real entitlements rather than inconveniences, and choose centres that treat their Indonesian and Balinese staff as the professionals they are. Where you have a choice between an international chain and a smaller, locally run option of comparable quality and safety, that choice is one small way to keep more of what you spend in the community you're living in.

Quick-Reference FAQ

Is day care in Bali regulated? Centres and preschools generally operate under Indonesian permits, but requirements and enforcement vary, and this isn't something to take on trust. Ask any provider which permit they hold and to show it to you before you enrol.

Should I get a nanny or a daycare centre? A nanny covers any age, odd hours and sick days, but costs more per hour of full-time use, while a daycare centre is usually cheaper for full weekday coverage once your child is old enough to be accepted, typically from 12 to 18 months. Which one fits depends mainly on your child's age and your work schedule.

What age do daycare centres and preschools accept in Bali? A few daycare centres take babies from six months, but most start between 12 and 18 months. Preschools generally start at 18 months and run through about age 6.