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Early childhood education and care In Finland local authorities are responsible for ensuring that early childhood education and care is provided in accordance with the needs of children and families. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is pr...

Early childhood education and care services Early childhood education and care is provided or arranged by local authorities or private service providers as centre-based early education activities and family-based daycare activities. Municipalities...

The aim of the project Framework for Digitalisation in Early Childhood Education and Care, Comprehensive School Education and Liberal Adult Education is to define the principles, target state and measures guiding the development of digitalisation in education and training in cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish National Agency for Education and the sector.

Legislation on early childhood education and care Early childhood education and care is part of the education and training services, and therefore it falls within the mandate of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Act on Early Childhood Educati...

Client fees charged for early childhood education and care The Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care (1503/2016) lays down provisions on the client fees charged for early childhood education and care services provided by municip...

Programmes for quality and equality in early childhood and comprehensive school education The Right to Learn development programmes aim to secure an equal start for learning by improving quality and equality in early childhood education and care (...

Pre-primary education Pre-primary education refers to planned education and care provided the year preceding the start of compulsory education, which is directly related to early childhood education and care as well as primary education. The Minis...

Education is one of the cornerstones of the Finnish welfare society. We pride ourselves on an educational system that offers equal opportunities for education for all.

Education for immigrants Immigrants usually participate in the same early childhood education and care, education and training as the rest of the population. In addition to these, integration training and support for learning as well as preparator...

Education policy report The Education Policy Report paves the way for equitable and high-quality education in the 2040s in Finland, where skills requirements are growing and age cohorts are shrinking. The report outlines the target state for educa...

Ministry of Education and Culture Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz The Swedish People's party of Finland Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz heads the Ministry of Education and Culture. In accordance with the division of responsibilit...

Organisation of the Ministry of Education and Culture According to the division of duties agreed by the Government, Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz heads the Ministry and is responsible for early childhood education and care, general educ...

28.11.2025 | Index adjustments have been made to client fees for early childhood education and care and to the related income thresholds. From the beginning of August 2026, the maximum fee will be EUR 335 and the minimum EUR 32. If there is more than one child in a family, the fee for the family’s second child is at most 40% of the fee for the family’s first child, i.e. a maximum of EUR 134. The fee for the family’s next children is 20% of the fee charged for the youngest child.

Special features of the Finnish education system Education is viewed positively in Finnish society. Nearly three in four Finns aged between 25 and 64 have at least an upper secondary school certificate (a completed matriculation examination or voc...

Brochures and other materials related to education Are you looking for information on education in Finland? This page gives a list of the Ministry’s links to brochures, publications, videos and other presentations on education in Finland. More bro...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its effects in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture On this page, we will update information on the impacts of the situation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education a...

The branch of government of the Ministry of Education and Culture The branch of government of the Ministry of Education and Culture comprises five agencies and two limited liability companies in addition to the Ministry itself. Furthermore, there ...

New Literacies Programme The New Literacies Programme aims to strengthen children’s and young people’s media literacy, competence in information and communications technology (ICT), and programming skills in early childhood education and care, pre...

The areas of expertise The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the development of education, science, cultural, sport and youth policies, and for international cooperation in these fields. The Ministry’s mandate covers early child...

Contact information Tarja Kahiluoto , Senior Ministerial Adviser Ministry of Education and Culture, Varhaiskasvatuksen, perusopetuksen ja vapaan sivistystyön osasto ( VAPOS ) Telephone: Email Address: [email protected] Kirsi Alila , Senior Ministe...