Early childhood education and care
Early childhood education and care is a planned and goal-oriented system of teaching, education and care for children, with a special emphasis on pedagogy. Early childhood education and care supports children’s growth, development and learning, and promotes their well-being.
Early childhood education and care can be provided in a day nursery, family day care or as open early childhood activities such as clubs and play activities. Every child under school age has the right to early childhood education and care. It is up to the parents to decide whether their child participates in early childhood education and care.
Loimaa offers a wide range of early childhood education and care services. Early childhood education, pre-school education and play activities are offered to families with children. Early childhood education and care is provided on a full-time or part-time basis, depending on parents’ needs, in day-care centres and family day-care centres.
Pre-school education is provided in kindergartens. Play activities are organised in the MLL year-round play park. The alternative to municipal day care is home care allowance and private care allowance and its municipal supplement.
If the customer has questions or feedback regarding the quality or operation of early childhood education, the customer should primarily contact the supervisor of their own child’s early childhood education unit. If necessary, the director of early childhood education will also answer questions.
Written reminder
According to Section 54 of the Early Childhood Education Act (13 July 2018/540), a parent or other guardian of a child who is dissatisfied with the quality of early childhood education or the related treatment has the right to make a reminder to the head of the daycare center responsible for the activities, the responsible person at the site or the head of early childhood education. As a rule, the reminder must be made in writing. The reminder can also be given verbally for a special reason.
You can send a reminder by post or email to the address: kirjaamo@loimaa.fi
The task of the social affairs officer is to advise early childhood education and care customers in matters related to the application of the Early Childhood Education Act and, if necessary, to assist the client or the client’s legal representative, relative or other close person in making a reminder.
Contact information: Early social affairs officer: tel. 02 313 2399, e-mail: social affairs officer(at)varha.fi or www.suomi.fi/messages
Brochure: Social services, Socialombudets tjänster, Services of the Social services ombudsperson pdf.
In addition to Kela’s statutory private care allowance, the City of Loimaa pays additional municipal private care allowance. A condition for granting the supplement is that the family has been granted private care allowance from Kela. The supplement is paid for the provision of full-time care (more than 5 hours a day) for a child under school age to a provider of private care chosen by the parent or to a private day care provider who has signed an employment contract with the family.
The additional allowance is 160 euros per child per month. However, it is at its maximum equivalent to the difference between the costs of arranging care and the private care allowance (care allowance + care supplement) paid by Kela.
If private day care begins or ends in the middle of the calendar month, the supplement is paid in proportion to the number of days of treatment. Additional support is not paid for the temporary termination of a municipal day care place.
The additional allowance is paid retrospectively on the last working day of the month.
Parents have the right to choose home or private care allowance per child. The family can receive both home care and private care support at the same time. However, both care allowances are not paid for the same child.
The application must be accompanied by Kela’s decision on private care support.
Parents are obliged to immediately notify the Director of Early Childhood Education of any changes affecting the payment of the supplement.
Further information: Heidi Kauti, Director of Early Childhood Education, tel. +358 50 406 3659, heidi.kauti(at)loimaa.fi
Supplementary application form for municipal private care support (in Finnish)
Early Childhood Education and Care Plan
The Early Childhood Education Plan (ECEP) is a curriculum for children under school age, based on the national Early Childhood Education Plan and the Early Childhood Education Act. The Early Childhood Education and Care Plan (ECEC Plan) is designed to guide the work of the different activities in a common way.
An early childhood education plan is drawn up for each child in early childhood education in cooperation with the child’s guardians. The child participates in the drawing up of the ECEC plan according to his or her own capacities.
The plan takes into account the views of the carers about the child and the experiences of the carers about the child in the group. Through discussion, joint decisions and agreements are reached on how the early childhood staff will promote the child’s growth and learning in their activities. The implementation of the plan is evaluated at least once a term and more often if necessary.