Family day care

Family day care is one form of early childhood education. A family day care provider works in their own home, which the city has approved as a family day care facility. A family day care provider must have relevant training in the field, such as a vocational qualification in family day care or a university degree in early childhood education.

Family day care can be provided by the municipality or a self-employed person. In municipal family day care, the provider is an employee of the municipality, and their supervisor is the director of a local early childhood education unit. Private family day care providers are self-employed persons approved by the City of Espoo to provide family day care. The city guides and supervises the activities of private family day care providers and advises them.

In family day care, the child receives early childhood education in a small group and a home-like environment. Play and familiar chores form the foundation for learning new things. The activities of a family day care provider are based on the city’s early childhood education plan. An individual early childhood education plan is also prepared for each child in cooperation with the guardians.

Cooperation with families is the strong point of family day care. Family day care providers can also cooperate with other family day care providers in the area and, for example, employees of residents’ parks.

One family day care provider can have a maximum of four children in their group including the provider’s own children under school age.

The daily hours of municipal family day care are 7:30–16:30. The hours of private family day care may vary. Always agree on your child’s care hours with a private family day care provider in advance.

In municipal family day care, a backup care place is agreed on for each child when the child starts attending early childhood education. The backup care place can be, for example, a day care centre or a group family day care centre. In private family day care, the family must usually arrange the child’s backup care on their own if the care provider falls ill or takes their annual leave.