Pre-primary education

Under the Finnish legislation adopted on 1 January 2015, all children in Finland must take part in pre-primary education or other activities that meet the objectives for pre-primary education the year preceding the start of their compulsory education.

Pre-primary education is offered in early childhood education units in accordance with the local curriculum for pre-primary education. The children attend four hours of pre-primary education per day on five days per week. Pre-primary education is free of charge. Each unit can determine their own timetable for pre-primary education. For more information, contact the directors of the day-care centres.

Each child shall be enrolled in free pre-primary education on the year of their sixth birthday. The children must be offered a minimum of 700 hours of pre-primary education each year, four hours a day and on five days per week (Basic Education Decree, section 3). The units will inform families of the exact hours at a later time.