Crche shortfall in Barcelona.

Only 3,459 of the 6,580 families applying to enrol a child in one of Barcelonas crches this year have been successful due to a shortage of places in the city. There are nearly 100 crches currently operating in Barcelona, of which 57 are run by the town council, 5 by the Generalitat and 34 are privately-owned but publicly funded. The Consorci d'Educaci de Barcelona, a body which co-ordinates educational activities and services in the Catalan capital, has released a report indicating that the shortage is most acute in the districts of Les Corts, Grcia, Sarri-Saint Gervasi and Sant Andreu. The rising birth rate in Barcelona has been cited as the reason for the problem.