How to apply for a place at a daycare
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Send daycare application
Applying to us is easy – with no commitments.
You can apply anytime, and we will promptly confirm the daycare for you.
Applying for a daycare place for the first time? Applying for and finding a daycare spot is relevant for families about 4–10 months before starting early childhood education.
However, we recommend submitting your application as soon as the need is known, to ensure a spot at your desired daycare. In some cases, your child could even start at a Pilke daycare as soon as the next business day.
This page contains information on applying for the first daycare place and starting early childhood education at Pilke’s daycare centres.
Starting early childhood education is a big step for both the child and the entire family.
At Pilke, we welcome your child genuinely and take account of their unique skills and interests. We ensure that group education is as individual as possible.
Please contact us anytime for further information, daycare places etc. – we are happy to help you.
Here is how to apply for a place at Pilke daycare
Are you familiar with the Pilke daycares in your area?
Before you decide to apply, you can find out more about Pilke daycares in your area and their activities by using the map search on our website. You can also find out what families with children have experienced at Pilke daycares.
Pilke daycares offer different focuses depending on the daycare. We have Finnish, English and Swedish speaking kindergartens and daycare centres that focus on nature, sports, music, science, art and expression – read more about the learning orientations here.
You are very welcome to visit our daycares before applying for a place.
Please contact us. We’ll get back to you, and let’s chat for more and we’ll arrange a personal visit and meeting at a Pilke daycare.
Applying to Pilke is easy
On each Pilke daycare centre’s own page you will find more detailed information on how to apply.
You can fill in the application form quickly and easily online in just a few minutes. No attachments are required, just fill in the application form:
- information about the child
- contact details
- details of the guardian(s)
- care needs (full-time, part-time, pre-school, other)
- preferred starting date
- additional information (allergies and other additional wishes and concerns).
You will receive an email acknowledgement once you have submitted your application.
You will be contacted within 2 working days by the manager of the daycare centre.
Sending your application is not binding. We will conclude a service contract when you decide to accept the offered place in the daycare.
Applying daycare FAQs
We are often asked at what age a child can start daycare, whether a one-year-old can manage in daycare, or if a baby can adapt to daycare, and so on.
Research shows that high-quality early childhood education is beneficial for children. The youngest children in daycare are around 9 months old. Early childhood education can continue until the child starts preschool at about age 6.
Every child is unique, and family situations vary. That’s why there is no single correct answer to the question of when a child can start daycare.
However, many parents wonder when their child could start daycare at the earliest. If you’d like to discuss the right age for your child to start daycare or have any related questions, you can contact the manager of your local Pilke daycare center.
We’re happy to talk with you—parents’ questions or concerns about starting daycare are very familiar to us!
You can apply for a spot at a Pilke daycare at any time!
Typically, families start looking for and applying to daycare about 4–10 months before the planned start of early childhood education.
However, we recommend submitting your application as soon as you know you’ll need a spot. This helps ensure your child gets a place at your preferred daycare and at the desired start time.
- You can also contact the manager of your nearest or preferred Pilke daycare directly. You’ll find introductions and contact details for our daycare centers using the Pilke daycare map search.
- Submitting a daycare application is quick and easy, and it’s non-binding: Apply for early childhood education at a Pilke daycare here!
Your child can start at one of our daycare centers at the desired time, depending on availability. In the best-case scenario, if there’s space, your child could start as soon as the next weekday.
If your preferred daycare doesn’t currently have available spots, you can join the waiting list. Availability can change quickly, and when it does, we offer the newly available spots to families on the list.
Yes, in Finland families can choose which daycare they primarily want to apply to for their child.
When you choose private early childhood education, there are two ways families can receive support for daycare fees. Depending on your municipality, you may receive either a service voucher or private day care allowance from Kela.
You can apply to a Pilke daycare at any time: How to apply for a daycare spot
- We recommend submitting your application as soon as you know you’ll need a spot. Sending the application is non-binding.
- If there is space available, we will confirm your child’s place for the desired start date as soon as possible.
- If your preferred daycare doesn’t currently have available spots, you can join the waiting list. Availability can change quickly, and when it does, we offer the newly available spots to families on the list.
When it’s time to apply for daycare, we recommend exploring the daycare centers in your area and getting to know their activities. You are always welcome to visit at Pilke daycare centre near you, book a visit here!
We always recommend that families visit daycare centers in person, if possible, before applying.
During a visit, you’ll get a glimpse into the everyday life, facilities, and activities of that specific Pilke daycare together with the daycare manager. It’s a chance for both sides to get to know each other, for you to ask questions, and for us to explain more about the application process and starting daycare.
When the first day of daycare finally arrives, your child will already be familiar with the environment—and maybe even recognize some new friends.
You’re warmly welcome to visit your nearest Pilke daycare!
Contact us to schedule a personal visit for you and your child at Pilke kindergarten.
Please fill in and send us the application form here.
On each Pilke daycare centre’s own page you will find more detailed information on how to apply.
You can fill in the application form quickly and easily online in just a few minutes. No attachments are required, just fill in the application form:
- information about the child
- contact details
- details of the guardian(s)
- care needs (full-time, part-time, pre-school, other)
- preferred starting date
- additional information (allergies and other additional wishes and concerns).
You will receive an email acknowledgement once you have submitted your application. And then you will be contacted within 2 working days by the manager of the daycare centre.
Sending your application is not binding. We will conclude a daycare service contract once you decide to accept the offered place in the daycare.
Read for more:
- Before you decide to apply, you can find out more about Pilke daycares in your area and their activities by using the map search on our website.
- Contact us, ask for more, book a personal visit.
- Tips for families when applying for daycare place first time.
Your child can start at one of our daycare centers at the desired time, depending on availability. In the best-case scenario, if there’s space, your child could start as soon as the next weekday.
- You can also contact the manager of your nearest or preferred Pilke daycare directly. You’ll find introductions and contact details for our daycare centers using the Pilke daycare map search.
- Submitting a daycare application is quick and easy, and it’s non-binding: Apply for early childhood education at a Pilke daycare here!
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If your preferred daycare doesn’t currently have available spots, you can join the waiting list. Availability can change quickly, and when it does, we offer the newly available spots to families on the list.
Both municipal and private daycare centres charge customer fees, which are determined by the size of the family, the parents’ income, and the amount of time the child spends at the daycare centre each day. Information about the daycare centre’s customer fees can be found on the website for each daycare centre - find your nearest Pilke daycare centre here.
You can receive either a service voucher for ECEC or Kela’s private daycare allowance to help cover the cost of private daycare. When you apply for a place at a Pilke daycare centre, you will receive more information from the daycare centre manager about the support your municipality provides for the cost of private early childhood education and care. You will also be given information about how and when to apply for support.
Practices vary greatly between municipalities, but Pilke daycare centre managers are very familiar with them. We are happy to answer any questions you might have – just get in touch!
You can find the contact details for our daycare centres using the Pilke daycare centre search function.
Yes, you can apply to both. Submitting a Pilke daycare application is non-binding—an official service agreement will be made separately later.
It’s a good idea to visit a few daycare centers before making your final decision.
You’re always welcome to visit us! Just contact us to book a visit or contact the daycare manager directly to arrange a tour for you and your child.
Even though demand is high in many areas, it’s still possible to get a daycare spot at short notice.
On each of our daycare center’s webpages, you can see whether there are currently available spots. If your preferred daycare doesn’t have space right now, you can submit your application to the waiting list.
Availability at our daycare centers can change quickly, and when it does, we offer the newly available spots to families on the waiting list.
Feel free to ask us more:
How to apply for a daycare spot
Find contact details for our daycare centers here
No, you don’t. Submitting a Pilke daycare application is non-binding—an official service agreement will be made separately later.
You can apply at any time, and we warmly recommend visiting your nearest Pilke daycare: get in touch with us!
At Pilke, it’s important to us that every child and their family feels welcome in our daycare centers.
Pilke daycare centers follow a three-tier model of support for development and learning. This includes support materials for staff to assess and provide the necessary support in practice. At Pilke, we collaborate with both municipal and our own special education teachers, as well as those providing services through outsourcing.
Private early childhood education complements and supports municipal services. Private providers operate according to the guidelines set by the municipality. At Pilke daycare centers, we follow these municipal guidelines and work closely with local authorities to ensure that early childhood education for children in need of support is arranged in the best interest of the child.
If a child’s best interest requires placement in a small group or a special group, this is arranged through municipal early childhood education. If your family has a child with special needs and you are interested in a place at a Pilke daycare, we warmly recommend discussing this with both the manager of the Pilke daycare and your municipality’s early childhood education service guidance.
Choose the right daycare for your family
In Finland there are municipal and private kindergartens, like Pilke. All of them comply with the Finnish Early Childhood Education Act and the operations are guided by the national early childhood education plan.
It is up to each family to choose which daycare they prefer.
You can also find lots of information about daycare and early childhood education and how to apply for a place on your own municipal or city website.
All Pilke daycare centres offer innovative early childhood education and pre-school education based on active learning and professional teaching in our day care centres across Finland.
Pilke early childhood education focuses on ensuring that children are always safe and well – and that our professional adults know how to meet, activate and listen to them in the right way
Care and education, hand in hand
For us, quality early childhood education involves learning through play and gentle interaction.
We see and recognize each child’s unique talents and support their strengths. We are passionate about our work and build safe and inspiring learning pathways for everyone.
It is important to us that our staff have time to meet children and families in a genuine and individual way. Welcome to Pilke!
What are the differences between private and municipal daycare centres?
The same objectives and quality indicators of early childhood education and care, including personnel allocation and qualification requirements, apply to all daycare centres – both private and municipal. All of Finland’s early childhood education professionals are trained in compliance with the same curricula in the same educational institutions.
The quality of private daycare centres is monitored and supervised in a similar manner as that of municipal early childhood education and care. In practice, this means that municipal authorities perform monitoring and control visits as well as audits at Pilke’s daycare centres. In addition, our daycare centres prepare own-check plans that are updated annually and can be read by the children’s guardians at their daycare centre.
Private daycare as an option
In Finland, hundreds of private daycare centres provide tens of thousands of children with education and care every day. Private daycare actors have formed an integral part of Finnish early childhood education and care since its conception in the 19th century.
Private daycare centres serve families flexibly by, for example, providing early childhood education with various learning orientations. Pilke’s learning orientations include languages, science, nature, sports, music as well as art and expression. Read more about Pilke’s learning orientations here.
At Pilke, we constantly endeavour to improve our operation to better meet families’ everyday needs. We constantly develop our pedagogical activities and novel, innovative services.
What is the price of a place in private early childhood education?
The client fee of both municipal and private early childhood education and care is based on the family’s size, the parents’ income and the length of the child’s days at daycare. The price of private daycare services is not necessarily higher than that of municipal early childhood education as most municipalities provide service vouchers or the opportunity to apply for private daycare allowance from Kela to cover the client fees.
Families are supported with private daycare customer fees in two separate ways. Depending on where the family lives, they may be provided with a municipal service voucher or Kela’s private daycare allowance.
Private daycare FAQs
Both private and municipal early childhood education are governed by the same laws, quality standards, and staff-to-child ratios, and they are also supervised by the municipality.
A private daycare can more flexibly offer families different options. Learn more about the activities and focus areas of Pilke daycare centers, as well as any special services, on each daycare’s individual webpage.
You are warmly welcome to visit your nearest Pilke daycare!
All private daycare centers are approved and supervised by the municipality in which they operate. Private daycare providers like Pilke follow the same Early Childhood Education Act and the national early childhood education curriculum as municipal daycare centers. Municipalities also monitor our operations through inspections, guidance, and audits.
Finnish private early childhood education is among the best in the Nordic countries. Recent surveys measuring both customer satisfaction and municipalities’ views show that private services are perceived as high-quality and that cooperation with municipalities works well.
In private daycare centers, quality is built through the development of pedagogy, investment in staff well-being and competence, and by creating services that meet the needs of families—often with the help of digital tools.
All private daycare centers are approved and supervised by the municipality in which they operate. Private daycare providers like Pilke follow the same Early Childhood Education Act and the national early childhood education curriculum as municipal daycare centers. Municipalities also monitor our operations through inspections, guidance, and audits.
Finnish private early childhood education is among the best in the Nordic countries. Surveys in recent years—measuring both customer satisfaction and municipalities’ perspectives—show that private services are considered high-quality and that cooperation with municipalities works well.
In private daycare centers, quality is built by developing pedagogy, investing in staff well-being and competence, and creating services that meet the needs of families—often by making use of digital tools.
Read more: Early childhood education at Pilke daycare centres
Many parents are interested in the cost of private daycare. A private daycare is not necessarily more expensive than a municipal one. Both municipal and private daycares charge a customer fee, which depends on the size of the family, the parents’ income, and the child’s daily care hours.
Cities and municipalities have different practices for supporting families who choose private early childhood education. Most municipalities offer a service voucher to cover the cost of private daycare, or families can apply for private daycare support from Kela. You can read more about daycare customer fee support here.
You can get more detailed information by asking the manager of your nearest Pilke daycare center or by visiting the daycare’s website to check the prices and customer fees: find your nearest Pilke daycare center here.
A private daycare is not necessarily more expensive than a municipal one. Both municipal and private daycare centers charge a customer fee, which depends on the size of the family, the parents’ income, and the child’s daily care hours.
Cities and municipalities have different practices for supporting families who choose private early childhood education. Most municipalities offer a service voucher to help cover the cost of private daycare, or families can apply for private day care allowance from Kela, read more about this here.
You can find the prices for each Pilke daycare on the specific daycare’s website – find your nearest Pilke daycare center here.
At Pilke daycare centers, we follow the Finnish Early Childhood Education Act in all our operations. A maximum number of children may be present in a group at one time based on the number of educators, even if more staff members are available. In practice, this means:
- In groups for children under 3 years old: a maximum of 12 children (1 educator per 4 children)
- In groups for children over 3 years old: a maximum of 21 children (1 educator per 7 children)
At Pilke, the child-to-adult ratio is an essential indicator of the quality of our work.
That’s why every Pilke daycare center communicates the daily ratio to families on a notice board. This ratio shows how many children and adults were present in the daycare on that particular day.
Read more in Finnish: Pilke julkaisee päiväkotien aikuisten ja lasten suhdeluvun päivittäin
Pilke daycare centers follow the same staff-to-child ratios as all other early childhood education providers in Finland. Both private and municipal early childhood education are governed by the same laws, quality standards, staffing ratios, and qualification requirements.
At Pilke, the daycare manager monitors the daily ratio of children to staff and is responsible for staff scheduling based on the care time bookings made by parents.
The staff-to-child ratio is also an important quality indicator in our work. That’s why every Pilke daycare center communicates the current day’s ratio to families on a notice board. This ratio shows how many children and adults have been present in the daycare on that particular day.
Yes, substitutes are used at Pilke daycare centers whenever needed.
Sometimes unexpected absences can cause disruptions in the daily routine. At Pilke, substitutes are hired to cover sudden absences, such as illness. Planned absences, like vacations and training days, are taken into account in advance through staff scheduling.
All our daycare centers across Finland follow the same consistent practices to ensure that substitutes are available and used whenever necessary.
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