Early education and care options

Early education and care is offered in municipal daycare centres and in private daycare centres.

Daycare in day care centres
Early education and care is offered in municipal daycare centres and in private daycare centres. An electronic application to municipal daycare must be sent four months prior to the need for care.

In order to apply for private daycare, you must contact the desired daycare centre directly. You can apply for private care allowance from Kela in the case of private daycare.

Family daycare
Family daycare can be
- group family daycare in facilities maintained by the municipality or in private facilities
- three-family daycare at the home of the families
- family daycare at the home of the caregiver.
An electronic application to municipal family daycare must be sent four months prior to the need for care.For information on local private daycare providers, please contact the family daycare coordinator of the area.

You can apply for private care allowance from Kela in the case of private family daycare.

Playgroup club activities
Clubs are organised by municipal daycare centres and playgrounds.
All clubs are free of charge.
The clubs are intended for children of 2-5 years of age.
The clubs operate 1 to 4 days per week for approximately 3 hours per day.
In addition to municipal clubs, there are private clubs that entitle you to apply for a service voucher.

Home care
The child can be cared at home by either parent or someone else, such as relative, and you can reseive home care allowance and the Helsinki supplement. In order to be eligible for home care allowance, the child must be under the age of three not attending municipal daycare. Home care allowance and the Helsinki supplement are applied for from Kela.

Hiring a nanny in the family's home
A family can hire a nanny in their home and receive home care allowance or private care allowance. The family finds and chooses the nanny. Before the job begins the family or the nanny books an appointment for an interview at the Helsinki Education Divicion.

More than one family can hire a nanny jointly, thus, forming a so-called care ring and apply for home care allowance or private care allowance from Kela.

Temporary daycare
It is possible to obtain temporary child care if an urgent need arises.
Ask for further details from the head of the daycare centre in your area or the Family Daycare coordinator.