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Preschool education

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.

Registration for preschool education

Registration is primarily done electronically via the City of Vaasa’s Early Childhood Education Online Services in January. Application times are announced directly on the city’s website, through newspaper advertisements (in Vaasa-lehti) and via Wilma.

Notice! Enrolment for preschool education in Vaasan kristillinen koulu is made directly to the school. For further infomation, please contact the Rector Henrik Vähäkangas, henrik.vahakangas(at)vaasankristillinenkoulu.fi, tel. 050 910 9453.

REGISTRATION OF CHILDREN BORN IN 2018 FOR PRESCHOOL EDUCATION STARTING 16 AUGUST 2024

Preschool education for the children born in 2018 begins 16th August 2024.

Applications to preschool education are submitted 11th January 2023 8 a.m. – 31st January 2024 5 p.m. . Preschool education is applied for using an electronic application.

You must register your children, even if they are already in early childhood education and the place of early childhood education does not change.

The guardians should choose one of the options listed in “Options for Preschool education”. Please note that the option ”all units” cannot be selected in the application, as this option is only listed for technical reasons.

If you select the Local school path for Preschool education, you cannot select the preschool unit. Preschool education for children in need of evening, night and weekend care is organised in Punahilkka day care centre.

If a child needs preschool education (4 hours a day) as well as early childhood education, the electronic enrolment form must meet the requirement for early childhood education in addition to preschool education.

A written decision on a child’s enrollment for preschool education will be posted to the child’s guardians in April at the latest. The preschool place must be accepted in writing by the date specified in the decision.

Options for Preschool education

Local school path for Preschool education

  • The child is assigned a place in Preschool education according to their home address following with the basic education school areas.
  • Select this option if your child is NOT in Language immersion, English Playschool, or the Tiitiäinen Steiner daycare.

Swedish language immersion Preschool education

  • Select this option if your child is currently in language immersion in Huvikumpu or Inkerinpuisto day care centres. You can also select the Local school path for Preschool education.
  • There are a few places available.

Tiitiäinen Steiner daycare

  • Select this option if the child is currently in the Tiitiäinen Steiner daycare. You can also select the Local school path for Preschool education.
  • There may be vacant places available.

Vaasa English Playschool

  • Select this option if the child is currently in English Playschool. You can also select the Local school path for Preschool education.
  • There may be vacant places available.

Preschool education in an outdoor daycare centre

  • Vaasa will organize outdoor daycare activities in Suvilahti (Finnish speaking group).
  • Select this option if you want to apply for a preschool place for your child in an outdoor daycare group.
  • Preschool education in an outdoor day care centre will be provided if there are enough candidates. If there are more candidates than vacancies, there will be a draw for the places.
  • In outdoor daycare, a group of children spends most of their preschool time (9-13) outdoors. Meals are eaten partly indoors and partly outdoors. The possibility of resting or sleeping is arranged indoors. The Suvilahti group will use a red cottage located in the courtyard of the Suvilahti daycare centre.
  • Outdoors daycare complies with the same legal framework as other Preschool education activities regarding the curriculum and the child’s right to early childhood education and the customer fees for early childhood education provided in addition to Preschool education.
  • The advantages of nature activities include experience-based learning, experientiality, functional learning and physical activity. Nature activates the children to play, invent and wonder. The annual cycle of nature, environmental education and the local community are an inherent part of the preschool day. Working and experiencing together strengthens the team spirit, interaction between children, trust, and achievement. Outdoors, the children may concentrate better and experience less stress.

Early childhood education in addition to preschool education

If a child needs preschool education (4 hours a day) as well as early childhood education, the electronic enrolment form must meet the requirement for early childhood education in addition to preschool education.

In such cases, early childhood education and preschool education are organised in the same daycare facility.

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 2023–2024 begins 16.8.2023 and ends 31.5.2024.

Holidays 2023–2024:

  • Autumn holiday 16.–21.10.2023
  • Independence Day 6.12.2023
  • Christmas holiday 22.12.2023–5.1.2024
  • Winter holiday 26.2.–1.3.2024
  • Easter 29.3.–1.4.2024
  • May Day 1.5.2024
  • Ascension Day 9.5.2024

The preschool term 2024–2025 begins 16.8.2024 and ends 30.5.2025.

  • Autumn holiday 14.–18.10.2024
  • Independence Day 6.12.2024
  • Christmas holiday 23.12.2024–6.1.2025
  • Winter holiday 24.–28.2.2025
  • Easter 18.–21.4.2025
  • May Day 1.5.2025
  • Ascension Day 29.5.2025

Secondary application round for preschool education

Registration is primarily done electronically via the City of Vaasa’s Early Childhood Education Online Services in May for the secondary application round.. Application times are announced directly on the city’s website, through newspaper advertisements (in Vaasa-lehti) and via Wilma.

SECONDARY APPLICATION ROUND FOR PREESCHOOL EDUCATION (finnish and swedish) CHILDREN BORN IN 2018 FOR PRESCHOOL EDUCATION STARTING 16 AUGUST 2024

Preschool education for the children born in 2018 begins 16th August 2024.

Applications to secondary application round for preschool education will take place in April-May 2024. More information on the application dates will be informed later.

It is also possible to apply for a preschool education place for a child of preschool education age  at a location other than the one assigned by the municipality, provided that there are places available.

You can apply for a preschool education place at only those daycare centres that still have places available. You can choose only one option in the application, which means that you can apply for a new preschool education place for your child at only one daycare centre.

If there are more applicants than places, then places will be allocated by drawing lots.

Contacts

Contact us

  • Raastuvankatu 29, Vaasa

We are open

  • Telephone times: Mon - Fri 9.00 - 15-00

  • Customer reception by appointment only.