Transfer application for changing daycare centres
If you would like to transfer your child to another daycare location or to a different type of service (for example from a regular daycare centre to a group family daycare), submit a transfer application on the Asti online service(Link leads to external service). You can apply for a transfer about one week after accepting a place at the latest.
We apply the same allocation criteria to transfer requests as we do to new applicants.
If you want to keep your transfer application valid, you cannot cancel your early childhood education place. You also cannot cancel your child's early childhood education place before the transfer takes place if you want the transfer to remain valid. The fee is always calculated from the start date of early childhood education, even if you do not use the early childhood education place you have accepted.
Cancelling a place in early childhood education
If you wish to cancel your child's early childhood education place, please inform the daycare centre manager in writing as soon as possible. This way we can give the place to the next child on the waiting list.
Suspending early childhood education
After your child has spent one semester, or approximately four months, in early childhood education, you can temporarily suspend your child’s early childhood education place. Notify your child’s daycare centre or early childhood education unit’s manager of the suspension and its duration at least one month in advance. The minimum duration of a suspension is four months and maximum duration is 2 years plus the summer months of June and July.
After the suspension, your child can continue in the same daycare centre or early childhood education place if there is space for the child and enough staff available. It is important that let your child’s daycare centre or early childhood education place know the end date of the suspension at least two months before your child is to return to early childhood education. If you wish to continue the suspension beyond the end date you have already given, you must notify the daycare centre of this at least two months before the original end date.
Your child can only return to early childhood education before the planned end date for a justified reason.
During the suspension, your child can participate in club activities provided by the municipality. Child home care allowance will be paid for a child under the age of three and a supplement will be paid for any siblings over the age of three but under school age.
Parental leave
If the child was born after 4 September 2022, the child’s guardians have the option to take parental leave.
At the earliest, a child can be placed in early childhood education from the beginning of the month when the child turns nine months old. A child’s enrolment in early childhood education is not dependent on the guardian having used the parental allowance days. Guardians can use parental allowance for periods of their choosing up to the age of two. If the child is enrolled in an early childhood education facility, the right to attend that same early childhood education facility is retained for a maximum of 13 weeks of continuous absence due to parental leave. Early childhood education must also be provided for the period during which partial parental allowance is paid due to part-time work. If the guardian or guardians are on partial parental leave for one day, only half a day of parental allowance is used.
Guardians must submit a Kela decision on parental allowance to the manager of the early childhood education facility to receive a free early childhood education period. This document will be returned to the family or disposed of securely.
For absences of more than five days, the guardian must notify the early childhood education facility at least one month before the planned start date of the absence.
Paternity leave
If the child was born before 4 September 2022, the child’s guardians have the option to take paternity leave. If the child was born after 4 September 2022, see the section on parental leave.
During paternity leave, the child is not entitled to early childhood education, but the place will be held. Notify the early childhood education facility of your paternity leave no later than two weeks before it begins. We kindly ask that you inform us about your paternity leave at the same time as you notify your employer. This way, we can best arrange early childhood education services according to our clients' needs.
Paternity leave is limited to a maximum of 54 working days (including Saturdays) and is taken when the child is under two years of age. You can divide paternity leave into a maximum of four periods of 1–18 working days. After the parental allowance period, you can divide paternity leave into a maximum of two periods.
If you take paternity leave immediately after the parental allowance period ends, we recommend that you do not apply for a placement in early childhood education before the time that you will actually need it. Paternity leave can also be used to delay the start date of a previously submitted application.
For paternity leave of up to 12 working days, you must notify your employer at least one month before the start of the leave. For paternity leave of more than 12 days, you must give at least two months’ notice.
When a child who has already started early childhood education stays at home during paternity leave, the right to attend the same early childhood education facility is retained, and the monthly fee is reduced according to the number of absences. Guardians must submit a Kela decision on paternity allowance to the manager of the early childhood education facility to receive a free early childhood education period. This document will be returned to the family or disposed of securely.
For absences of more than five days, the guardian must notify the early childhood education facility at least one month before the planned start date of the absence.
Notifying absences during parental or paternity leave
For absences of more than five days, the guardian must notify the early childhood education facility at least one month before the planned start date of the absence. Absences of more than five days may be one-off, continuous or recurring. There is no early childhood education fee during absences.
In the case of repeated absences of 1–5 days, the guardian must notify the facility one week before the planned start date of the first absence. As this is an ongoing and regular practice, it is sufficient for the guardian to give notice of absence one week before the first absence. There is no early childhood education fee during absences.
There is no obligation to report one-off absences of up to 5 days, and they are not free of charge as specified in the Customer Fees Act.
Regular and pre-arranged absences allow early childhood education to be carried out in a planned way for the child, the other children and the staff.