The Cuban regime authorized childcare as an activity within the non-state sector this Tuesday and maintained the allowance for private tutoring, albeit with restrictions, through the No. 62 Ordinary, signed by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz on July 22, 2026.
The regulation classifies childcare as a "permissible or conditional activity," meaning it can only be carried out with prior authorization, license, or certification from the competent institution.
To obtain this permit, those who wish to dedicate themselves to childcare must have a certification from the Ministry of Education that attests to their training; in the case of caring for the elderly or individuals with disabilities, the endorsement comes from the Ministry of Public Health.
This framework consolidates previous regulations: by 2024, Resolution 245 from MINSAP had already formalized the procedures for this activity, requiring a training certificate in response to the proliferation of informal private daycare centers due to the inadequacy of state-run child care facilities.
Regarding private lessons—covering languages, tutoring services, shorthand, typing, music, and other arts—the decree allows them, but with a clear limitation: they can only be taught by self-employed workers and without the possibility of hiring employees for that purpose.
This means that a private tutor cannot scale their activities to a business format or partner with others to expand the educational offerings.
Furthermore, formal education with official diplomas or certifications is prohibited for all non-state economic actors, and the establishment of private academies is not permitted, which preserves the state's monopoly on formal education on the island.
Decree 160 replaces the Decree 107 from August 2024, which established a uniform list of 125 prohibited activities for the non-state sector, and takes a further step by differentiating the restrictions according to the type of economic actor.
The text of the decree itself justifies the change by stating that "the approved Economic and Social Transformations make it necessary to replace the homogeneous list with a differentiated regulation by type of economic actor, clearly distinguishing between unauthorized activities, conditioned activities, or activities that can be authorized."
The regulation establishes four categories: absolute prohibition, unauthorized for non-state actors, unauthorized for self-employed workers, and permissible or conditional.
The decree is part of the package of 176 measures for economic transformations approved by the National Assembly in an extraordinary session on June 18 and 19, 2026, which also included the removal of the cap of 100 workers for small and medium-sized enterprises, business multiproperty, and the opening to private banking.
The regulation comes into effect on August 4, 2026, seven days after its publication in the , and the Council of Ministers must review it at least every two years upon proposal from the National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors.
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