Place guarantee to ECEC

Local governments are obliged to provide all children aged from 1.5 to 7 years permanently residing in their catchment area with the opportunity to attend a preschool child care institution in the catchment area if the parents so wish.

If on the territory of a local government the temporary need for ECEC places is greater than the total number of existing places, the local government will provide all persons interested with the opportunity to obtain a part-time place at an ECEC institution.

The amendments to the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act adopted in 2014 allow local government to be flexible in providing preschool places for children aged 1.5‒3 years. At the request and with the agreement of a parent, a local government can replace a place in ECEC institution for daycare services.

For children with special needs, conditions will be created for learning in integration groups together with other children. If there are no possibilities to establish an integration group in a local ECEC institution, the local municipality or city government creates special groups or establishes special ECEC institutions.

Affordability

In both ECEC and childcare services, parents cover the enrolment fee and the costs of children’s catering (so-called study place fee). Parents may also partially cover the management costs of the ECEC institution as well as the remuneration of the staff and the costs of teaching aids. ECEC institutions are mostly municipally owned and the local governments establish the rate for the amount to be covered by parents. The fee may differ according to the age of the child, the financial situation of the family, etc. There are also municipalities where parents do not have to pay at all for a place in ECEC. According to the law, the share of costs per child covered by a parent may not exceed 20% of the minimum salary established by the Government of the Republic.