Applying for early childhood education

There are many options to receive early childhood education and care, both provided by the city and purchased from private providers by the city. These include daycare centres, family day care, group family day care, and activity clubs.

You may get to know early childhood education and care and activity club sites, as well as service voucher and outsourced daycare centres, prior to beginning the application process. The family’s wishes will be considered in the decision to the extent it is possible.

Applications for municipal early childhood education and care, private daycare via service voucher or purchased service, as well as early childhood education club activities, are filed using the eVaka Tampere online service. 

Applying online requires strong identification as well as a Finnish personal identity code. A service voucher application form is to be filled for each child separately. The application for early childhood education must be submitted no later than four (4) months prior to the desired start date. A place at an early childhood education and care club activity may be applied for all year round. The club application may target either a municipal or a service voucher -supported provider. 

The application is urgent if the need for early childhood education and care is due to sudden employment, studies or training and the timing of the need for early childhood education and care could not be foreseen. The application must be made as soon as possible, but no later than two (2) weeks before the need for the early childhood education and care place. The carer must contact the Early Childhood Education and Care Customer Service and provide a certificate of employment or education. For urgent applications, the application period starts as soon as you have contacted the Early Childhood Service.

When applying for evening or round-the-clock care, an application must be appended with certificates of both, co-habiting, guardians’ work in the evenings or in shifts, or evening-time studies that lead to a degree or qualification. Provide the necessary certificates and appendices on the online form. 

The application should make note of any additional support that may be necessary for the child, since the objective of early childhood education and care is to promote the balanced growth, development and learning of the child. 

The guardian who filed the application may amend it using the eVaka Tampere online service until such time as it is taken up for processing.

You will be informed of a place assigned in early childhood education and care or a club activity about 2 to 4 weeks prior to the start of the need for service. A written decision on the place in early childhood education will be sent to the guardian using the suomi.fi/messages service.  

If the guardian chooses to not employ the Suomi.fi messaging service, the decisions will be sent by letter mail. 

More information and instructions to activate the Suomi.fi messages service

A berth in the morning and/or afternoon activity clubs will be granted for one administrative period at a time. Once the period in question ends, the application is removed from the system.  

The administrative period for a club activity is from August until the end of May. Each period must be applied for separately. The club activities have the same operating and holiday dates as pre-primary education, unless otherwise specified. Various clubs meet at different days of the week. 

The placement of your child early childhood education and care or a club activity can be accepted or rejected using the eVaka Tampere online service. 

If the guardian wishes to reject a placement, they should file a new application if necessary. The four-month application period detailed above will be employed in such a case.

New clients should submit income information for the family to enable the assessment of fees, or to give their consent to be assessed for the maximum client fee, within one month of starting early childhood education and care. For more information, refer to the early childhood education and pre-primary education client fees website.