Child care in Finland
Child care alternatives in Finland include municipal and private child care. Part-time and full-time day care is provided by day care centres or family day care providers.
In accordance with Finnish law, all children from 0 to 6 years are entitled to municipal day care, if the child’s parent has a registered municipality of residence in Finland. Municipal day care fees are determined on the basis of the parents’ income and the size of the family.
As for private day care providers, they are monitored by the municipality.
Day Care in Turku
Municipal services are offered in Finnish and Swedish. In the Rehtorinpellonkatu unit (part of the Tuomaansilta day care centre), in the middle of the campus area, day care services are available also in English.
Private day care is available in several languages:
Steiner-päiväkoti Pikku Tammi (FI/SW/GE/EN/RU) Ylioppilaskylä 20B (Student Village) 20540 Turku email: info@turunsteinerpaivakoti.fi |
Daisy Day Care (FI/EN) Ylioppilaskylä 25B (Student Village) 20540 Turku Tel. +358-2-2323362 email: daycare@daisy.fi |
Wendy House (FI/EN) Neljäs linja 3 20100 Turku Tel. + 358 2 333 1686 / mobile +358 45 113 0803 email: leikkikoulu@wendyhouse.fi |
Trivium Kiddy Care (FI/EN) Lemminkäisenkatu 32 20520 Turku Tel. +358 40 147 7314 |
L’Hexagone (FI/FR) Linnankatu 64 20100 Turku Tel. + 358 400 914235 email: info@hexagone.fi |
Miska-talo (FI/RU) Käsityöläiskatu 12 20100 Turku Tel. + 358 44 522 4668 email: info@miskatalo.fi |
Day Care in Vaasa
Municipal services are offered in Finnish and Swedish.
Vaasa English Playschool is a private day care centre. Established in 1968, it is one of the oldest association-based English language playschools in Finland.
Education
After day care, also referred to as early childhood education, the Finnish education system comprises one year of preschool education and 9 years of basic education free of charge. Every student is allocated a place in a nearby school, but they can also choose another school with some restrictions. Schools in Finland do not select their students.
After compulsory basic education, it is possible to opt for general or vocational upper secondary education. Both forms usually take three years and give eligibility for higher education.
Schools in Turku
In Turku, public basic education is provided in Finnish in 33 schools, in Swedish in 4 schools and in English in Turku International School.
Schools in Vaasa
In Vaasa, public basic education is given in Finnish in 14 schools and in Swedish in 5 municipal schools and Vasa Övningsskola. Vasa Övningsskola (VÖS) is part of the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies of Åbo Akademi University. VÖS provides preschool, primary and lower and upper secondary education, and it is one of the 17 schools in Finland with an International Baccalaureate upper secondary school programme.
Suvilahti primary school and the English department in Vasa Övningsskola offer classes also in English (CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning).