France is facing a major crisis in its after-school childcare system for public kindergartens and primary schools. Paris prosecutors are investigating allegations of physical, psychological, and sexualized violence in more than 100 institutions. Staff members from the périscolaire program, responsible for supervising children outside classroom hours, are under suspicion.
The périscolaire system covers children between the ages of three and 11. Employees in these programs supervise pupils during breaks, lunches, nap times, after-school care, clubs, and extracurricular activities. In many cases, they spend more time with children than schoolteachers do.
At the same time, périscolaire workers are not formally part of the education system. They are hired by municipalities and local authorities. Many are temporary employees without specialized training or teaching qualifications, working part-time for hourly pay.
According to workers themselves, the average salary is around €1,000 per month. More experienced employees may earn about €2,000 including bonuses, but high staff turnover makes such cases uncommon.
Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that investigations are currently underway in 84 preschool institutions, around 20 primary schools, and 10 daycare centers. Lawyers representing families say the cases under investigation include alleged rapes of children aged three and four.
The scandal began unfolding in the spring of 2025. Several cases in Paris’s 11th arrondissement became the initial focus of attention.
In early May, a closed-door trial began against 47-year-old Nicolas G., a former employee at the Titon school, where he ran a manga club. He is accused of harassment involving nine children and sexualized violence against three of them.
On May 26, another trial is expected to begin involving an employee from the Alphonse-Baudin kindergarten, who is suspected of sexually abusing five children between the ages of three and five.
Another program employee who worked at the Servan school was arrested in late April on charges involving “sexual acts” against three children.
The parent organization SOS Périscolaire says the problem is nationwide. According to the group, more than 600 complaints involving alleged physical, psychological, and sexualized violence in kindergartens and primary schools have been filed across France.
The allegations involve not only sexual crimes, but also humiliation, insults, beatings, bullying, food deprivation, and forcing children to eat until they vomit.
In response to the scandal, Paris authorities introduced a zero-tolerance policy. Employees in after-school supervision programs have begun to be suspended even over minimal suspicions.
According to city officials, 30 employees were suspended in 2025 alone, including 16 over suspicions of sexualized violence. Since the start of 2026, another 78 workers have already been suspended, 31 of them over similar allegations.
City officials insist decisions are made individually, but employees themselves describe effectively automatic suspensions and an atmosphere of generalized distrust.
“There is a presumption of guilt that causes enormous anxiety,” Bertrand, the director of one after-school supervision program, told Le Monde. “Many men are asking to be transferred out of preschool institutions because they fear becoming suspects.”
According to him, this is worsening the staffing crisis and creating additional instability for children who need stable adults around them.
Amid the controversy, employees and managers within the périscolaire system have staged several protests outside Paris City Hall.
Trade unions accused the authorities of pursuing a “repressive policy” and called for strikes.
New Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire acknowledged “serious problems” within the system and apologized to parents on behalf of city authorities. He also publicly disclosed that he himself had been sexually abused as a child during extracurricular swimming lessons.
Grégoire promised stricter background checks for candidates seeking work in the périscolaire system and expanded staff training. Paris authorities will also establish a cross-party commission to investigate how the city managed the system.
The city plans to allocate €20 million to combat violence in schools and childcare institutions.
At the same time, Grégoire openly defended the zero-tolerance policy.
“At this stage, I would rather be unfair to staff than allow even the slightest risk to children,” he said.