Early Childhood Education Schools and Programs in Spain

Early Childhood Education Studies in Spain

Early childhood education (educación infantil) covers the education of children from birth to six years. In Spain it is a single stage organised in two cycles: up to age three, and from three to six. Studying the subject means training to teach and care for children in this age group, either as a university-trained infant teacher (maestro de educación infantil) or as an early years educator with a vocational qualification.

Qualifications and how they are organised

The main route is the bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education (grado en Educación Infantil, also called Maestro en Educación Infantil or Magisterio de Educación Infantil). Infant teaching is a regulated profession in Spain, so the degree must follow national requirements set by Order ECI/3854/2007: 240 ECTS credits, which is four years, in line with the general structure of Spanish degrees in Royal Decree 822/2021. The Practicum, a supervised teaching placement, takes place in infant schools recognised as training centres. Universities may add specialisations (menciones) of 30 to 60 credits. By the end of the degree students should have C1-level Spanish, and the region's other official language where there is one, plus a foreign language at B1 level.

At the Universidad de Murcia, for example, the degree (in English, Degree in Early Years Education) is taught on campus in Spanish over 4 years and 240 credits, with 140 places for new students.

The vocational alternative is the higher vocational qualification Técnico Superior en Educación Infantil, a 2,000-hour FP course. It trains educators for the first cycle (0 to 3 years) and includes subjects such as play and its methodology, cognitive and motor development, and first aid, as well as a work placement. The Ministry of Education describes it as the qualification for working as an early years educator with children aged 0 to 3. Graduates can go on to a university degree and may have some modules recognised.

Where to study it

A search of the Ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) for degrees in infant education returns 83 records, under several names and including some degrees being phased out. Examples among the schools in our directory:

• Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and Universidad Villanueva
• Catalonia: Universitat de Barcelona and Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
• Valencian Community: Universitat de València, Universitat Jaume I and Universidad de Alicante
• Andalusia: Universidad de Granada and Universidad de Sevilla
• North and northwest: Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad de Vigo, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea and Universidad de la Rioja
• Castile and León: Universidad de Valladolid and Universidad Católica de Ávila
• Region of Murcia: Universidad de Murcia
• Distance learning: Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla, and the UNED

Teaching is mainly in Spanish, and in regions with a co-official language (Catalonia, Galicia, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country) partly in that language. A few universities list their degree in RUCT with an English name, such as the Bachelor in Pre-Primary Education at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos or Infant Education at the Universidad San Jorge; check how many courses are actually taught in English.

Many of the schools listed on this page are international and bilingual schools that teach the infant stage itself. They matter to families moving to Spain rather than to future teachers: King's College School Chamartín in Madrid, for instance, teaches children aged 12 months to 7 years, and Swans International School in Marbella has a Foundation Stage for ages 3 to 5.

Admission and recognition

Students with a secondary school diploma from outside Spain usually apply for an accreditation from UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records for access to Spanish bachelor's degrees. Each university then sets its own admission criteria, which depend on the previous studies and the country of origin. Public universities publish a cut-off mark: for the Murcia degree it was 9.592 in 2025-26.

Teachers trained abroad who want to work as infant teachers in Spain need homologación of their degree, the procedure under Royal Decree 889/2022 that gives access to a regulated profession; it is handled by the ministry responsible for the profession. A declaración de equivalencia only certifies the academic level.

Careers

The degree qualifies graduates as infant teachers for children up to six and prepares them to advise families on education in the 0 to 6 period. Holders of the FP qualification work as educators in nurseries, in programmes for children at social risk and in leisure activities for children under six, such as toy libraries, libraries and cultural centres.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become an infant teacher in Spain?

The bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years, including a teaching placement in infant schools.

What is the difference between the degree and the FP qualification?

The university degree trains infant teachers for the whole 0 to 6 stage. The Técnico Superior en Educación Infantil is a 2,000-hour vocational course for early years educators working with children aged 0 to 3.

Do I need to speak Spanish to study it?

Yes, in almost all cases. The national requirements expect graduates to reach C1 in Spanish, and also in the regional language where there is one.

Can I work in Spain with an early childhood teaching degree from another country?

Infant teaching is a regulated profession, so you need the homologación of your degree before working as a teacher in Spain.