Accepting a place and starting early childhood education

Once we have made the decision to grant your child a place in early childhood education, the decision will be sent to you via the eVaka service at www.espoonvarhaiskasvatus.fi(external link, opens in a new window).

If you have activated the Suomi.fi service in a municipal or official service, you will also receive the decision through this service. If you have not activated the Suomi.fi service, we will send the decision to you by post. If both guardians live at the same address, we will send the decision to the guardian who submitted the application. If the guardians live at separate addresses, the decision will be sent to them both for information.

You have 14 days to accept or decline the place starting from the date the decision was issued. When accepting the place offered to your child, you may postpone the start of early childhood education by up to two weeks, but only once. You must make the postponement at the same time as you accept the place.

If you decline the offered place, your application will no longer be valid. However, you can submit a new application if you want. Please note that we will observe a four-month processing time when arranging the new place. Read more about application and processing times here.

Once you have accepted the place, your child’s future early childhood education unit will contact you to arrange practical matters regarding your child’s start and familiarisation period. If you want, you can also contact the unit yourself.

An initial discussion will be arranged with you to go through practical matters concerning your child’s start in early childhood education.

If possible, we recommend that this discussion take place without the child, so that we can focus on all important matters. The discussion aims to ensure that the child’s start is as smooth and safe as possible and that the guardian feels comfortable leaving their child in early childhood education.

During the discussion, you can talk about your child and your expectations for early childhood education, as well as ask questions. Together, we will discuss your child, their strengths, interests, and needs. We will also address matters related to your child’s health, diet, language, culture, and beliefs that are relevant to early childhood education. You will receive information about using eVaka in daily activities.

Finally, we will agree on the timing and practical arrangements of your child’s familiarisation period before the start of early childhood education.

Before the actual start of early childhood education, the child and guarding will participate in a familiarisation period lasting approximately 1–2 weeks. The familiarisation period is designed to support both the child and the guardian during this important transition and takes place before the child’s official early childhood education start date. No early childhood education fee will be collected during the familiarisation period.

During the familiarisation period, your child will practise being in early childhood education. They will have the opportunity to get to know the new environment and new people safely while their guardian is present.

At the beginning of the familiarisation period, the child may only spend a couple of hours at the early childhood education unit, gradually increasing over time. Towards the end of the familiarisation period, your child can begin practising staying alone with new people for a short period, while the guardian is, for example, in the next room.

During the familiarisation period, the family will be informed about the group’s daily schedule, routines, and pedagogical activities. The goal of the familiarisation period is to ensure that the child has the best and safest possible start in early childhood education.

Please note that most early childhood education units are closed in July. Similarly, some units are closed during the year-end holiday season. If your child starts early childhood education in the autumn, the familiarisation period will take place in August. If your child starts in January, the best time for familiarisation is either before the Christmas holidays or after Epiphany.

Before the child starts in early childhood education, we will prepare a service agreement with the guardian. The service agreement is prepared either during the initial discussion or during the familiarisation period with the head of unit and the guardian.

The service agreement specifies the child’s early childhood education hours, which form the basis for determining the client fee.

Read more about early childhood education client fees here.

Information about client fees at service voucher early childhood education units is available here.

After the familiarisation period, your child can stay in early childhood education without their guardian once the service agreement has been signed and early childhood education officially begins.

Early childhood education officially begins on the date confirmed by the guardian when accepting the place. Invoicing also starts from this date. Invoicing will begin even if the family chooses to extend the familiarisation period beyond the official start date.

We recommend that, at first, your child’s days in early childhood education are slightly shorter. This helps the child adjust to the new environment and reduces potential stress.

At the beginning, it is common for a child to cry in the mornings when separating from the guardian. This is a natural reaction and temporary. You can best support your child by remaining calm and consistent in these situations. Short, warm goodbyes and a promise to return will make the separation easier. The early childhood education staff are trained to support the child in these situations. Guardians can trust that their child will receive the necessary support and care.

Regular routines provide security for the child and make it easier to adjust to the new situation. It is good to maintain the same schedule and routines as consistently as possible every day. However, it is important to remember that each child is an individual and adapts at their own pace.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the start of early childhood education, please discuss them with the staff. We support every family and child during this new phase of life and help find the best solutions for all situations.