Daycare Centres Gain Popularity in Finland
About 80 percent of children aged 1–6 took part in early childhood education last year.
Only about three percent were in home-based daycare, which was popular up until the 1990s.
- More and more families are sending preschool children to daycare centres.
- Traditional family daycare arranged in private homes is becoming a historical relic.
Family daycare, which is arranged in child minders' own homes and overseen by local education officials, was popular in Finland in the 1980s, but appears to be fading away.
Now only about three percent of children in daycare are in such small-group care.
Children in Finland typically start school around age seven, but receive some pre-school education before that.
Pre-primary education is free of charge and has been compulsory for all children since 2015.
According to fresh data from Statistics Finland, last year 235,200 children took part in early childhood education.
That is about 80 percent of all children aged 1–6.
Author's summary: Daycare centres are becoming more popular in Finland.