Private Day Care Centres

Families may also apply for a day care place in a private day care centre.

Private day care centres operate either with a service voucher, or with the help of private day care allowance. See the enclosed list of day care centres for more information about respective centre’s supply of services and the payment options they accept.

If you wish to use a day centre located in a neighbouring municipality, please contact the ECEC expert for more information. The expert will also answer your questions about service vouchers.

Do the following

Apply for a place in a private day care centre directly with their own application forms. Please contact the day care centre directly.

Apply for a municipal service voucher like this:

  1. Apply for a day care place for your child at least four months before they need a place at the day care centre. Apply directly by contacting the service provider.
  2. When you have been granted a place, apply for a service voucher granted by the municipality.
  3. You must also give an account on your income. Alternatively, you can state that you accept and pay the highest client fee.
  4. Enclose also a copy of your contract of service with the day care provider in the application.

Apply for private day care allowance and municipal supplement from Kela.

  • Note that the Kela e-service is available in Finnish and Swedish only. Please contact to Kela's Customer service directly.

To whom and on what terms

Municipal supplement to private day care allowance is paid when the family chooses a private ECEC provider.

Early childhood education and care may be given to a child who has not reached the age of compulsory education.

Day care may also be given to a child who has already reached the age of compulsory education if special circumstances so require and care cannot be otherwise arranged.

The guardians make an agreement on early education services with a private service provider. You can apply for an allowance from Kela for the payments. It consists of a care allowance, a care supplement affected by the family’s income and a possible municipal supplement. The municipal supplement will be paid by the municipality. If your municipality has a service voucher you can apply for it.

The allowance is paid directly to the private day care provider. Please note that care providers chosen by the parents must always be approved by the municipality.

Actors who provide their services with service vouchers comply with Sipoo ECEC Services Voucher Rules and Regulations.

Basic information and legislation

You can apply for a place for you child from a private day-care centre that organises early childhood education. Care at a private day-care centre is provided by companies, communities or NGOs, supervised by the authorities and regulated under the Early childhood education and care act.

For example, private day-care centres may offer early childhood education and care in different languages or following a specific pedagogical model, including Montessori or Steiner education. They may emphasise different hobbies or religious education.