Child care in Åland

Once parents’ right to parental leave has ended, parents can choose either municipal or private day care for their child or child home care allowance. There are day care centres for children in every municipality in Åland.

Child care is provided by your municipality of residence in the form of day care centres, out-of-hours care or play activities. If you are an Åland resident, you are entitled to municipal child care in a day care centre or family day care centre. You can apply to your municipality for a place in child care at any time of the year. You are recommended to apply four months before you need the place. You can get a place within two weeks if, for example, you get a job or start studying. Contact the municipality you live in for more information.

In Åland there are private community-supported day care centres and group family day care centres that provide child care. The Waldorf school has a nursery with a pre-school section and St.Mårten’s day care centre is run by Mariehamn parish. The Regnbågen nursery uses Waldorf/Steiner teaching methods.

Payment of parental allowance ends when the child is around 9 months old. If you live in Åland, you apply for home care allowance in your municipality of residence. Home care allowance consists of a fixed amount, the care allowance, and a possible care supplement depending on the family’s income. The care supplement is paid for one child only. There are also municipalities that pay out extra support from the municipality to individuals who get home care allowance. There is no private day care allowance in Åland.

In Åland, pre-primary education is part of day care for 6-year-olds. You can get information on pre-primary education from your municipality of residence in Åland. Besides municipal day care centres there are also other alternatives. For example, the Waldorf school has a nursery with a pre-school section and St.Mårten’s day care centre is run by Mariehamn parish.