A Cuban resident in Italy identified on TikTok as @yurelismarin shared this week a video explaining how much her daughter's daycare costs and what support from the Italian government allows her to significantly reduce that expense.
In the video, published last Wednesday and accumulating nearly 2,800 views, the TikToker shares her experience during the child's adaptation week at the nursery — as it is called in Italy. "I am Cuban living in Italy, you know how difficult it is here with children, with childcare, the nursery, whatever you call it," she says at the beginning of the clip.
According to the explanation, the part-time option, with hours until 1:30 PM, costs around 400 euros per month, plus 5 euros daily for meals. For those who need full-time service, the amount can skyrocket. "The person who has to take the kids all day is almost 900 pesos 800 I don't know oh my goodness," he remarks, using the term "pesos" to refer to euros, as is common in the colloquial speech of many emigrated Cubans.
However, @yurelismarin emphasizes that the Italian system includes subsidies that significantly reduce this expense. By having a low ISEE —the Italian indicator that measures the family's economic situation—, the municipality covers half of the monthly cost. "Since I have documents stating I'm poor... the comune gives me half, I pay the other half," he explains.
Additionally, it mentions the INPS Nido Bonus, the Italian social security, as another aid that further reduces expenses. This benefit can cover up to 3,600 euros annually for families with an ISEE below 40,000 euros and children born from 2024 onwards. For children born before that date, the amount reaches 3,000 euros annually with an ISEE of up to 25,000 euros.
Legal immigrants in Italy have equal access to these aids if they present the ISEE and meet the income requirements. Starting from January 22, 2026, the INPS expanded the Bonus Nido to holders of residence permits for job searching, following court rulings in Trento, Turin, and Monza that deemed the previous exclusion discriminatory.
The contrast with Cuba is striking. The state-run children's circles in Cuba are free for working mothers or students, but spots are limited and demand exceeds supply, which has led to the emergence of private childcare services costing between 375 and 7,500 Cuban pesos per month. The TikToker acknowledges that the need to work forces individuals to incur these expenses: "The problem is that we have to do it because we need to work; how are we going to live?"
It is estimated that around 12,000 Cubans residing in Italy are mainly concentrated in Milan, Rome, and Bologna, according to data from ISTAT. The experience of @yurelismarin adds to that of other Cubans who have shared their lives in Italy, from economic challenges to the advantages of the European welfare system. @yurelismarin concludes her video by encouraging other emigrant mothers to seek information: "When I heard the price of daycare, I was almost shocked... but then I discovered that there are indeed aids, and it changes EVERYTHING. If you are in Italy and have babies, be well-informed because it can be very worthwhile."
Her testimony is reminiscent of another Cuban in Italy who shared how her partner bought a house paying 350 euros a month, highlighting how access to state assistance can transform the economic experience of Cuban emigrants in that country.
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