Preschool education
The application process for pre-primary education is being renewed.. Link to the news.
Preschool children, i.e. 6-year-olds, participate in free preschool education organised by the municipality. In Vaasa, preschool education is organised at daycare centres. Children receive preschool education for four hours a day.
Preschool education in Finland is based upon the principles of the preschool curriculum approved by the National Board of Education. This curriculum forms the foundation upon which the City of Vaasa has created its common teaching plan for the whole municipality. The City of Vaasa’s preschool plan, in turn, forms the base upon which an individual preschool curriculum is built at each daycare centre.
Preschool education is planned and focuses on long-term teaching and education. The goal of the teaching is to support the child’s growth and development during the year before school age. Other aims are to support the child’s learning skills and to help them experience the joy of learning.
Participation in preschool education is compulsory. It is the responsibility of the child’s guardian to ensure that the child participates in preschool education or in other activities through which the targets of the preschool education are met before compulsory education begins.
The preschool placement is determined according to the home address
The City of Vaasa assigns a preschool placement for the child based on the address information in the population register and the mother tongue (Finnish/Swedish), in accordance with the guidelines of the Education and Upbringing Committee. Please note:
- The preschool placement is not necessarily the physically closest daycare center.
- The preschool placement does not determine the child’s future school placement.
If the child is already in early childhood education, factors such as the current placement, language immersion, English Playschool, Steiner daycare Tiitiäinen, and shift care are taken into account.
Report any changes by 19 December 2025
- Upcoming move within Vaasa or outside Vaasa.
Decisions on preschool placements
- Decisions will be made in January–February 2026 and delivered via Edlevo or by letter.
- If you do not accept the assigned placement, notify the service guidance within two weeks of receiving the decision. Note! Declining the placement does not mean that a new preschool placement will automatically be assigned to the child.
Preschool education place
As the organiser of pre-primary education, the City of Vaasa assigns each child a pre-primary education place based on the address information and registered mother tongue (Finnish/Swedish) in the Population Information System, following the guidelines decided by the Finnish- and Swedish-language Sections of the Education Committee.
A child may be assigned to a pre-primary education place other than the physically nearest day-care centre providing pre-primary education. The assigned place does not determine the child’s future school placement in basic education.
If the child is already in early childhood education, the following will also be taken into account:
- the language (Finnish/Swedish) of the current early childhood education place
- participation in Swedish language immersion education
- participation in English-language early childhood education (English Playschool)
- a place at the Steiner day-care centre Tiitiäinen
- shift care
Changes in the family’s address information
Guardians must notify us of any known changes (for example, an upcoming move within Vaasa or moving away from Vaasa) as early as possible, and no later than 19 December 2025. This ensures that the changes can be taken into account before the decision is made. Information about a future change of home address must be submitted by email to Service Manager Maria Karvonen, at maria.karvonen@vaasa.fi.
Protected address information or moving to Vaasa from another municipality
If the family’s address information is protected, the guardians must contact the Early Childhood Education Coordination Service.
This also applies to families moving to Vaasa whose address information is not yet visible in the Population Information System.
Contact must be made no later than 19 December 2025.
Assigned pre-primary education place
Decisions on pre-primary education places for the pre-primary year starting in August are made in January–February. Guardians will receive the decision concerning the child’s assigned pre-primary place in Edlevo. Guardians whose children are not currently in early childhood education, or who have not given consent for electronic notifications, will receive the decision by letter.
If the guardian does not accept the child’s assigned pre-primary education place, they must notify the Early Childhood Education Coordination Service within two weeks of receiving the decision. The decision will then lapse, and the place may be assigned to another child. Please note: Not accepting the assigned place does not mean that a new pre-primary education place will automatically be assigned.
Applying for another pre-primary education place
If the guardian is not satisfied with the assigned place, they may apply for another pre-primary education place. The application period for pre-primary education beginning in August 2026 is 1–15 February 2026. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Applications for another place are submitted in Edlevo by completing the early childhood education application.
The guardian must enter the preferred pre-primary education unit as the first preference, or specify any other relevant arrangement, when applying for another pre-primary education place.
Guardians who do not have access to Edlevo must contact the Early Childhood Education Coordination Service.
Processing the application requires the guardian to declare that the assigned place has not been accepted.
A place in another pre-primary education unit can be granted only if there are available places in the requested unit and group after all assigned pre-primary education places have been allocated.
Decision-making follows the criteria of the application process for another pre-primary education place. If there are more applicants than available places, a lottery will be used. Please note that transport is not provided for a place applied for in another pre-primary education unit. Guardians are responsible for all transport arrangements.
Not satisfied with the assigned pre-primary education place?
If the guardian is not satisfied with the assigned pre-primary education place, they must notify the Early Childhood Education Coordination Service by the deadline that the place will not be accepted, and submit an application for another place during the application period.
If the guardian is also dissatisfied with the decision concerning the application for another place, they may submit a request for rectification to the Regional State Administrative Agency. Instructions and deadlines are attached to the decision.
Steps to follow:
- Follow the arrival of the decision in Edlevo or by post.
If you have not given consent for electronic notifications, or your child is not currently in early childhood education, you will receive the decision by post. Decisions will be sent to guardians in January 2026. Please read the decision carefully.
- If you are satisfied with the assigned pre-primary education place, no action is required.
- If you do not accept the assigned place and
- wish to apply for another pre-primary education place, or
- will arrange pre-primary education in another way
contact the Early Childhood Education Coordination Service within two weeks of receiving the decision.
- Apply for another pre-primary education place by completing the early childhood education application between 1–15 February 2026. Enter only the pre-primary education unit you prefer as the first preference.
- After receiving the decision on the place applied for, no action is required if you accept the place.
If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you may submit a request for rectification to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland. Instructions are included with the decision.
- If your child needs early childhood education in addition to pre-primary education, contact the Director of the future pre-primary education day-care centre no later than 31 May 2026. Contact information is included in the decision.
Pre-primary education operating year and daily hours
The operating year for pre-primary education in the 2026–2027 school year is 17 August 2026 – 31 May 2027. Holiday periods generally follow the holiday schedule of basic education. Pre-primary education is not provided on school Saturdays.
The daily free-of-charge pre-primary education time is 09.00–13.00 (4 hours per day). For preparatory pre-primary education for basic education, the daily time is 08.00–13.00 (5 hours per day).
If the child needs early childhood education before and/or after the pre-primary education hours (so-called complementary early childhood education), the guardian must contact the Director of the future pre-primary day-care centre no later than 31 May 2026.
Contact information:
- Early Childhood Education Coordination Service, varhaiskasvatus.palveluohjaus@vaasa.fi, Tel. 06 325 2552 (Mon–Thu 09.00–15.00)
- Service Manager Maria Karvonen, maria.karvonen@vaasa.fi, Tel. 050 325 4821
More information about pre-primary education and Edlevo is available at:
Work and holiday times in preschool education
Preschool education follows the holiday periods observed in basic comprehensive education, excluding any working days on Saturdays.
The preschool term 2025–2026 begins 18.8.2025 and ends 29.5.2026.
Holidays 2025–2026:
- Autumn holiday 13.–17.10.2025
- Christmas holiday 22.12.2025–2.1.2026
- Epiphany 6.1.2026
- Winter holiday 23.–27.2.2026
- Easter 3.–6.4.2026
- May Day 1.5.2026
- Ascension Day 14.5.2026
The preschool term 2026–2027 begins 17.8.2026 and ends 31.5.2027.
Holidays 2026–2027:
- Autumn holiday 12.–16.10.2026
- Christmas holiday 21.12.2026–6.1.2027
- Winter holiday 1.–5.3.2027
- Easter 26.–29.3.2027
- Ascension Day 6.5.2027
