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Family Day Care

Family day care is a form of early childhood education, where a child's early childhood education is carried out in a small group at the home of the childminder.

Introduction

Day care Families with children
Family day care is early childhood education for children under school age in a small group in the home of a municipal or private childminder. Family day care emphasizes a home-like environment, play and unhurriedness.

A private childminder’s group can have four children under school age. Only trained professionals work in both municipal family day care and private family day care. 

As in daycare centers, early childhood education in family day care is systematic and goal-oriented education, teaching and care, with an emphasis on pedagogy. The activities of day care and family day care are governed by the same regional and national early childhood education plan. A child-specific early childhood education plan is created for children in family day care as well.

Family day care is based on good, safe and regular everyday life. The advantage of family day care is the home-like environment, where children and families are encountered as individuals. In the metropolitan area’s customer satisfaction survey, family day care has repeatedly received the highest scores out of the different forms of early childhood education. The survey examines the experiences of children and guardians in early childhood education and pre-primary education.

Municipal family day care

In municipal family day care, children are cared for by a childminder employed by the city. Their supervisor is the daycare center director who is responsible for family day care. The operating time for municipal family day care is primarily between 7:30 and 16:30. In municipal family day care, an alternate care place at the local daycare center is agreed on for the child for the childminder’s absences due to illness or vacations. The early childhood education fees are determined on the same basis as in municipal daycare centers.

Private family day care

Private childminders are private entrepreneurs who have been approved as childminders by the City of Vantaa. The city directs and supervises the activities of private childminders and provides guidance. 

You can find more information about private family day care and applying for it on the following page:

Private Family Day Care
Go to early childhood education front page
Daycare center

Errandservices

Advice

Early childhood education service counsellors

Vantaa also has several early childhood education service counsellors ("palveluohjaaja" in Finnish). A service counsellor presents the various early childhood education options for families and helps them apply for a place in early childhood education.

Service channels