Preschool education

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.

Home address determines pre-primary education placement

Children are placed in pre-primary education based on their home address, within the boundaries of the basic education district. This means that parents or guardians cannot choose a pre-primary education placement at a specific daycare centre or within a particular area.

The only exceptions to placement in the nearest pre-primary education unit are Swedish language immersion, English-language early childhood education, and Steiner kindergarten.