Preschool education
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All six-year-old children in Uusikaupunki are offered free preschool education in a local daycare centre.
Preschool education is organised in all daycare centres in Uusikaupunki, provided that enough children register for it. Preschool education is free of charge. Participation in preschool education is mandatory.
The central task of preschool education
The central task of preschool education is to promote favourable conditions for children's growth, development and learning and to strengthen their positive self-image. Preschool education is organised around playful activities based on the individual level of development of each child.
Preschool education in Uusikaupunki follows Uusikaupunki’s preschool curriculum, which is based on national standards. Instead of individual skills, the curriculum focuses on improving the general learning abilities of children. Children learn by being active and playing together.
Preschool education in Uusikaupunki follows Uusikaupunki’s preschool curriculum, which is based on national standards. Instead of individual skills, the curriculum focuses on improving the general learning abilities of children. Children learn by being active and playing together.
Preschool timetables
In the 2022-2023 academic year, preschool education is implemented from 10 August 2022 to 31 May 2023, including school holidays. The length of the school day in preschool education is about four hours, at least 700 hours a year.
Preschool education is not organised during school holidays:
- autumn holiday 17 - 23/10/2022 (week 42)
- Christmas holiday 22/12/2022 - 08/01/2023
- winter holiday 20 - 26/02/2023 (week 8)
Registering for preschool education
Children engage in preschool education for one year before starting compulsory schooling. On August 10, 2022, children born in 2016 started preschool. The main way to register for preschool education is electronically. The guardians of children born in 2016, whose domicile is registered in Uusikaupunki, have received a letter with information about how to register.
Application for daycare (preschool and early childhood education) takes place via an electronic application form. If an applicant is not able to use the electronic service, they can obtain an paper application form from their nearest daycare centre or from daycare services at the civic centre, or print it off from the Forms page.
Those born in 2016 who are already in daycare, including those in the control group participating in the two-year preschool trial, must fill in both a preschool registration form and daycare application form. The guardians of children born in 2016 who belong to trial groups and are already in preschool education do not need to re-enrol their children in preschool education nor submit a supplementary daycare application, if it is still valid.
When applying for preschool education, please choose the daycare centre closest to the child's future school.
Registering for 2 year-long preschool education
Myllymäki daycare centre, Satulinna daycare centre and Tiitiäinen daycare centre have been selected as the locations for a 2-year preschool trial in Uusikaupunki. The trial group includes children born in 2016 and 2017, who are enrolled in one of the above-mentioned daycare centres or who are not enrolled in daycare, but live close to one of the centres. The trial group has been formed through random sampling in accordance with experimentation legislation and decisions of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The municipality has not exercised its judgement in the matter.
The two year-long preschool education is free of charge. The aim of the trial is to improve equality in education and the quality and effectiveness of preschool education. A separate curriculum has been drawn up for the two-year preschool education trial. This year, children born in 2017 may apply for the 2-year preschool trial. Their families will receive a letter with more information regarding the preschool trial and indicating which group their child will be placed in.
Daycare as a supplement for preschool education
Children must apply for the necessary supplementary daycare separately. Daycare will be organised in the same place as the child’s preschool education. A prerequisite for being granted a place in a daycare centre is that the child needs it due to their parents working or studying full-time, or it is otherwise necessary due to the child's support, development or family circumstances. Daycare is subject to a fee.
Organisation of preschool education
If a child only participates in preschool education, they will, if necessary, have access to free transport to and from their nearest preschool education centre, if the distance is over 3 km. Transport is generally organised in the form of a bus.