Daycare and School in Finland 2026: Complete Guide for Newcomer Families
Explains early childhood education, pre-primary and basic education, compulsory education, school placement, free meals/materials, preparatory education, S2, the 1 August 2026 support reform, daycare fees and newcomer-family onboarding.
Short answer
In Finland, early childhood education/daycare for young children is provided by municipalities or private providers, with municipal ECEC fees based on family income and number of children. All six-year-olds have pre-primary education; basic education normally begins in the year the child turns seven and grades 1–9 are free. Teaching, materials, a daily school meal and necessary student-welfare services are free, with free school transport in qualifying cases. Newly arrived children without sufficient Finnish/Swedish can receive preparatory education and S2 support. From 1 August 2026, additional support after preparatory education became available for certain immigrant-background pupils, and the new varhennettu oppivelvollisuus system replaced the earlier pidennetty oppivelvollisuus model for relevant children.
1. Early childhood education and care
ECEC/daycare is not merely childcare; in Finland it is a pedagogical early-childhood education service. It can be provided in municipal centres, family daycare or subsidised/private settings.
Municipal ECEC is subject to a fee determined using statutory criteria such as family income and family size/number of children. Fee limits and thresholds can change, so the municipality's current calculator should be checked.
2. Pre-primary at six, basic education from seven
According to the Finnish National Agency for Education, all six-year-olds have one year of pre-primary education. Basic education normally starts in the year the child turns seven and lasts nine years, grades 1–9.
Compulsory education continues until age 18 unless an upper-secondary qualification or equivalent is completed earlier. Compulsory education is therefore broader than grades 1–9 alone.
3. What is free in basic education?
Pre-primary and basic education are free. Textbooks, learning materials and required tools are provided free of charge, as is a balanced daily school meal.
Necessary student-welfare services are free, and school transport can be free where statutory distance or safety conditions are met.
4. How school placement works
The municipality generally assigns a nearby school based on the home address. Families can often request another school, subject to available places and municipal rules.
For newly arrived families, correct DVV address and municipality registration make placement easier. For school-age children, contacting municipal education services before moving is useful.
5. Preparatory education and S2
If a newly arrived child does not yet have sufficient Finnish/Swedish to follow basic education, the municipality can provide preparatory education. The aim is to strengthen language and school skills for transition to mainstream education.
S2 (Finnish as a second language) is not automatic for every pupil with an immigrant background; it is based on assessed language-learning needs.
6. New support model from 1 August 2026
From 1 August 2026, education providers can offer additional instruction after preparatory education to certain foreign-born pupils whose Finnish/Swedish foundation remains insufficient. The support can last up to one year and is linked to basic education.
The remaining learning-support reform provisions also entered into force on that date. In the relevant special-needs context, varhennettu oppivelvollisuus replaced the earlier pidennetty oppivelvollisuus model.
7. What should a newcomer family prepare?
Checklist
- Child passport/ID and personal identity code if available
- Finnish address / DVV information
- Previous school reports and grade records
- Vaccination/health information where relevant
- Special-education/support reports
- Custody information
- Home languages and current Finnish/Swedish level
- Requested daycare or school start date
- Allergy/dietary needs
- Previous preparatory/language-education details
8. Newcomer family education checklist
Checklist
- Correct ECEC/pre-primary/basic route for age?
- Municipal education/ECEC office contacted early?
- DVV address/municipality registration progressing?
- Previous school records ready?
- Preparatory education need assessed?
- S2 assessment planned?
- Special-support documents translated?
- Household-income details ready for daycare fee?
- School-meal allergy/diet forms completed?
- 1 August 2026 support reform applied if relevant?
Common questions about this topic
Is basic school in Finland free?
Pre-primary and basic education are free, including materials, a daily school meal and necessary student-welfare services.
If my child does not speak Finnish, must they go directly to a mainstream class?
Not necessarily. The municipality can provide preparatory education, followed by mainstream education with S2 or additional support where needed.
Official sources
The following official or public sources were checked for this guide. Current authority instructions always take precedence.
- Finnish National Agency for Education — Basic education
- Finnish National Agency for Education — Basic information about primary and lower secondary education
- Finnish National Agency for Education — What is early childhood education and care?
- Finnish National Agency for Education — 2026 curriculum changes for immigrant-background pupils
- Finnish National Agency for Education — Learning support reform in force 1 August 2026
- Finnish National Agency for Education — Varhennettu oppivelvollisuus
Relocation to Finland
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