All children attend pre-primary education in the year preceding the start of their compulsory education. In Helsinki, a number of municipal and private daycare centres and a few schools organise pre-primary education. Pre-primary education is provided for 4 hours a day, following the school term dates and holidays. In the 2022–2023 school year, pre-primary education will begin on 11 August 2022 and end on 3 June 2023.
If your child is in municipal early childhood education, you can accept the pre-primary education place online on Asti at asti.hel.fi(Link leads to external service) during 1–13 March 2022. If you do not accept the place assigned for your child, you should apply for another place via the City of Helsinki E-services.
If a child is not in municipal early childhood education, the guardian should apply for a pre-primary education place for the child. Submit an application for pre-primary education on the City of Helsinki e-services at asiointi.hel.fi (Link leads to external service)during the application period 1–15 March 2022.
You cannot apply for a pre-primary education place for 2022–2023 before 1 March 2022.
If your child needs early childhood education to supplement pre-primary education, it will be provided at the same location as your child’s pre-primary education. If you accept the assigned pre-primary education place on Asti, you do not need to apply for supplementary early childhood education separately. Families not in municipal early childhood education can apply for supplementary early childhood education using the same form as for the pre-primary education place on the City of Helsinki e-services at asiointi.hel.fi.
If you are applying for pre-primary education at a private daycare centre, submit your application directly to the preferred private daycare centre, which can also provide you with more information.