Enrolment and decision-making

Pre-primary education units and schools offer early childhood education in the morning before the start of pre-primary education and in the afternoon after pre-primary education. Pre-primary education is free but early childhood education is subject to a charge. Early childhood education connected to pre-primary education is applied for using the same application form as for the pre-primary education place. Exceptions to this are some of the outsourced pre-primary education units as well as private early childhood education units.

If your child needs early childhood education in addition to pre-primary education, use the same form to apply for ear­ly childhood education connect­ed to pre-primary education. For some oursourced day-care centres, places must be applied for directly with the unit in question. This is indicated on each day-care centre’s website. Applications to private day-care centres must be submitted directly.

The current deci­sion concerning the child’s early childhood education is valid until 31 July 2023. If the child needs early childhood education as of 1 August 2023 be­fore pre-primary education starts, please take this into account when selecting the desired starting date.

However, early childhood education connected to pre-primary education can only be applied for starting from the beginning of the pre-primary education.

Application for the current term

If your child needs early childhood education in addition to pre-primary education, you can apply for early childhood education connected to pre-primary education at espoonvarhaiskasvatus.fi(external link). 

Contact information

Telephone
Varhaiskasvatuksen palveluohjaus
09 816 31000

Mailing address
PL 3125
02070 Espoon kaupunki
varhaiskasvatuksen.palveluohjaus@espoo.fi

Opening hours 

Monday klo 9-13
Tuesday klo 9-13
Wednesday  klo 9-13
Thursday klo 13-16
Friday klo 9-13

Pre-primary education is offered at day-care centres and schools.

Pre-primary education provided by Early Childhood Education

The pre-primary teacher, in collaboration with the other early childhood education staff, is responsible for the four-hour pre-primary education at municipal, outsourced and private day-care centres and schools, where the pre-primary education is organised by the Finnish Early Education Unit. The early childhood education staff are present during the pre-primary education hours as well before pre-primary education in the morning and after it in the afternoon.

Pre-primary education provided by Basic Education

The pre-primary teacher, in collaboration with the other school staff, is responsible for the four-hour pre-primary education. Before pre-primary education in the morning and after it in the afternoon, the early childhood education is the responsibility of an outsourced service provider or the staff of a municipal day-care centre.

The Finnish Child Care and Education Committee has decided (17 November 2011, paragraph 155) that the following admission selection criteria be followed in pre-primary education:

1. First, pre-primary education places are allocated to those children who have a need for intensive or special support or who have other special reasons with a direct impact on the organising of pre-primary education. The need for intensive and special support means the need for support measures that have been proven necessary according to expert opinions. Other special reasons refer to matters which have a direct impact on the allocation of the pre-primary education place and for which an expert opinion has been issued, as well as the need for instruction preparing for basic education related to supportive learning of the Finnish language.

2. Next, where possible, pre-primary education places are allocated in the pre-primary education group of the child’s current day-care centre or one organised on the school premises.

2.1. For these, pre-primary education places are first allocated to those children whose sister or brother attends a local day-care centre or school.

Children enrolling for pre-primary education have the right to a pre-primary education place at
a) a day-care centre in their own service area, if their sister or brother has, at the moment of making the decision, a valid care relationship with the pre-primary education day-care centre continuing in the coming pre-primary education year, or
b) a local school determined by the city, if their sister or brother will be attending this school in the coming school year.
Parents may decide whether or not to exercise this right and whether to exercise it in accordance with a) or b) above, if the child is entitled to both.

2.2. Next, pre-primary education places are allocated to other children so that, taking all children into consideration, the distance to pre-primary education is as short and the route as safe as possible. The safety of the route is assessed on the assumption that parents take their children to pre-primary education.

In addition, in allocating pre-primary education places, the child’s need for early childhood education, the parents’ wishes and a continuous educational pathway are taken into account where possible.

The policy entered into force when pre-primary education pupils were selected for the 2012–2013 school year and is still in force.

The child needs support

When filling in the item “The child needs support with learning Finnish” of the application I am also applying for preparatory education for basic education.

Check this item if your child needs support in learning Finnish and you are applying for preparatory education for basic education during the pre-primary year of education.

The preparatory education for children in the pre-primary education age is intended for children with an immigrant background, Finnish returnee children, children of bilingual families (excluding Finnish/Swedish) and adopted children who need support with learning the Finnish language before their transition to basic education. Preparatory education is provided in pre-primary education for 5 h/day. Education is free of charge.

Preparatory education for basic education for six-year-olds is provided in municipal Finnish speaking pre-primary education groups.

More information: Preparatory education for pre-primary-aged children.

When filling in the item “The child needs support” of the application

Check this item if the child needs support regarding their development and/or learning during the pre-primary year of education. The support is implemented in the child’s everyday life as part of the other activities of pre-primary and early childhood education. Some of the pre-primary education places are reserved for children needing support. If your child has developmental and/or learning support needs, the early childhood special education teacher will contact the applicant so that the child’s needs can be taken into account when allocating a place for pre-primary education.

We are exercising the right to a pre-primary education place in the same location as the child’s sibling.

When filling in the item “I am primarily applying for a place in the same location attended by the child’s sibling” of the application

Children enrolling for pre-primary education have the right to a pre-primary education place at

a) a day-care centre in their own service area, if their sibling has, at the moment of making the decision, a valid care relationship with a pre-primary education day-care centre continuing in the coming pre-primary education year, or

b) a local school determined by the city, if their sibling will be attending this school in the coming school year.

Parents can decide if they want to exercise this right and if they want to do so in accordance with a) or b) above, if the child is entitled to both.

If you have questions about applying for pre-primary education or you need help filling in the application, you can contact the early childhood education service guidance. You can reach the service by e-mail at vaka.palveluohjaus@espoo.fi or by telephone on +358 9 81631000 (Mon, Tue, Wed and Wed at 9:00–13:00 and Thu 13:00–16:00). 

You can also visit the Leppävaara Service Point at Sello to meet the service instructors on Thursday, 12 January 2023 at 14:00–17:00 or Wednesday, 18 January 2023 at 14:00–17:00. A service access instructor will also be present to provide assistance for filling in the digital application. 

If necessary, help in matters related to the application process is also available from Hello Espoo Info at the Service Centre of the Iso Omena shopping centre on 10–11 January 2023 at 10:00–11:30 and 12:30–15:00, and on 16–18 January 2023 at 10:00–11:30 and 12:30–15:00.