• Planning your Trip
• How to get there
• Getting Around
• What to bring
• Childcare

Planning your Trip - Childcare

Creche

There are five creches dotted around the Champsaur valley in St Bonnet, St Leger les Melezes, Chaillol, Ancelle and Orcieres Merlette. They are open all year round and have a number of places reserved for tourist children aged between 3 months and 5 years old. The staff are all qualified and the buildings and equipment comply with the French health and safety regulations and standards for creches.

They get very busy during the french school holidays and it is necessary to book in advance. We can organise this for you when you book your holiday. The prices are very reasonable and generally cheaper than most nurseries in the UK.

Kids Club

At the top of the Champsaur valley in Orcieres there is an excellent 'maison de l'enfant' kids club, 'La Petite Ourse' offering half-day or full-day care (with lunch) for children aged between 3 months and 6 years. The centre has several light indoor areas, sleeping and dining rooms, outdoor play areas and they do a variety of activities with the children including arts and crafts, swimming, games and nature trails.

Summer

The club is open four days a week.

Winter

The club is open 7 days a week

For children between 3 and 6 years they can ski with the French ski school ESF on their special ski kindergarten - 2 hectares with a decorated ski run, a conveyor belt, a mini T-bar and a snow cannon. The ESF take your children to the dining hall in the Petite Ourse childcare centre for lunch if they are with them for the whole day.

There's also a 'School work and Ski' programme for primary children alternating skiing with assistance with homework and a chance to find out about the mountain environment so you can have a family holiday outside the school holiday period without your child losing out on school work.

For non-skiing children between 6 and 11 years old, the club offers sledging, swimming and arts & crafts workshops. during the Christmas and February holidays

Babysitting

If you want a night out or a day on your own but haven't managed to organise a creche or kids club place for your children, we can organise babysitting for you. We have a list of babysitters who we know and use ourselves for our baby. Some of them are qualified in child care and work in the creches in the day and some are older teenagers who want to improve their English. We can arrange babysitting whilst you are here or book it in advance.