Applying to become an early childhood education service provider in the service voucher system

Espoo has a service voucher system for private early childhood education. All service providers have the option to apply to become an early childhood education service provider in the service voucher system.

When you apply to become a service provider in the service voucher system, you agree to comply with the City of Espoo’s service voucher rule book for early childhood education (Palvelusetelisääntökirja). You can find the rule book in Finnish here.

You can apply to join the service voucher system through the system for service vouchers and outsourced services (PSOP)(external link, opens in a new window). In the system, provide the required information and documents. For more information on the required documents, see the starting guide. You can find support and instructions for using the PSOP system here (In Finnish).(external link, opens in a new window)

The status of an application can be checked through the PSOP system. The decision to approve or reject the service provider is made by the City of Espoo. Once the decision has been made, you will receive an extract of the official’s decision.

The maximum value of the service voucher for early childhood education provided at a day care centre is determined annually. You can find the value of the service voucher and the related coefficients in Espoo’s service voucher rule book. The price ceiling for a service voucher (additional fee) is EUR 50 per month. In other words, a service provider can charge an early childhood education fee that is EUR 0–50 higher than that charged for municipal early childhood education.

Families can apply for a place in a service voucher day care centre approved by the City of Espoo by filling in an online application in the eVaka service(external link, opens in a new window). The family applies for a place in the service voucher day care centre in the same way as they would apply for a place at a municipal day care centre. You can find application instructions for families here.

For more information, you can contact Espoo’s private early childhood education specialists:

• Finnish Early Childhood Education: vaka.yksityinen@espoo.fi
• Swedish Early Childhood Education: mia.reimars@espoo.fi