The education of young children in France is subject to a much greater degree of institutionalization than in other European countries, especially those in the north. Crèches and “écoles maternelles” (nursery schools and preschool establishments), the two classical facilities for children under six, developed from different historical traditions. The urban “crèches collectives” were initiated in 1844 as philanthropic institutions and classified as hospital facilities in 1965. In the late 1960s, research in the field of child psychology paved the way for new methods that attached importance to personal expression and independence. The programme for the “crèches collectives”, first issued by the city of Paris in 1986, was particularly influential. This laid down spatial parameters based on a study of the relationship patterns and environments of small children. It reflected calls for independence in conjunction with emotional dependence, the constancy of a child’s relationships and the interaction between the child, its parents and the people caring for it.