Early childhood education and care

When you need a place in early childhood education and care for your child, you have to apply for the place at least four months before care is required. Children are entitled to early childhood education from the beginning of the calendar month in which they turn nine months old.

At the end of the parental allowance period, parents are entitled to a place in a day-care centre or family day care for their child. Parental allowance for one child is paid for a total of 320 working days.

All children under school age are entitled to early childhood education and care.

Children who are not in early childhood education and care in a day-care centre or family day care can take part in municipal free-of-charge club activities.

You can apply for places in municipal early childhood education and care using a form or through the e-services. Private day-care centres and carers can usually be contacted directly.

The early childhood education fee depends on the income of the family and the number of siblings. If the child’s parents have joint custody, the fee is determined based on the family that the child officially lives with.

You can apply to Kela for support for the costs of private day care. Many municipalities have a service voucher that can be used to purchase early childhood education and care services form private operators.