Early childhood education fees and grants

Early years education fees from 1 August 2024

Monthly fees for early years education

The parental contribution for one child in early childhood education is a maximum of 311 euros.

A fee of 40% is charged for the second child in early childhood education, up to a maximum of €124. The fee charged for other children in the family is a maximum of 20% of the fee for the younger child.
The minimum monthly fee is €30, and families on the lowest incomes are exempt from the fee.
If a child attends early years education on a part-time basis, the fee is lower than the full-time fee.

Determination of the payment and income limits

The monthly fee for early years education is determined based on family size and income. The fee is set as a monthly payment. The fee for full-time early years education may not exceed the euro amount corresponding to the fee percentage determined by family size, calculated from the monthly income exceeding the minimum income threshold. However, the local authority may set a maximum fee if the applicant does not declare the family’s income.

Family size, number of people	Income limit (€/month)	Payment percentage	Income threshold for the lowest charge	Fee: €311 if your monthly income exceeds €/month
2	4066	10.7	4346	6968
3	5245	10.7	5525	8147
4	5956	10.7	6236	8858
5	6667	10.7	6947	9569
6	7376	10.7	7656	10278

The euro amounts for tuition fees are adjusted in line with changes in the general ea ings index. The euro amounts for the highest and lowest fees are adjusted in line with changes in the education price index. Adjustments are made every two years. The euro amounts adjusted by the index come into effect on 1 August of the year following the adjustment year.

The impact of service needs on early years education fees

If a child’s monthly requirement for early years education is consistently lower than that for standard full-time early years education, the fee may be reduced as follows:

	Need for treatment	Payment
Early childhood education	On average, no more than 20 hours per week, 84 hours per month	60% of the monthly fee for full-time early years education
	On average, more than 20 hours per week but less than 35 hours per week, 146 hours per month	80% of the monthly fee for full-time early years education
	35 hours per week or more, 147 hours or more per month	Monthly fee for full-time early years education

Part-time early years education

An agreement is drawn up for part-time early years education, whereby the average number of hours per week allocated to early years education does not exceed 35. The early years education hours may be agreed upon in the agreement:

The agreement on early years education is concluded for a minimum of three (3) months
The agreement always comes into force at the start of the calendar month.
If the agreed hours are exceeded during two consecutive months, the contract will be reviewed to ensure it reflects actual needs. A ‘wa ing’ will be issued to the family following the first instance of exceeding the agreed hours. From the second instance onwards, the fee will be charged according to the next fee bracket for a minimum of three months. However, the fee is always based on the agreed hours and will not be reduced if the child attends early years education for fewer hours than agreed. Note: exceptions (sick leave).
Children’s early years care times must be notified to the early years care centre at least one week in advance via DaisyFamily. For example, care times for week 51 (the week beginning 15 December) must be submitted by 23:59 on Sunday 7 December 2025.
The period for averaging allocated early years education time is one calendar month.

Early years education for pre-school children

The monthly fee for early childhood education for a child in pre-school is calculated based on the time spent in early childhood education, minus the time spent in pre-school (4 hours per day). Parents must also apply for this reduction in writing by means of an agreement on early childhood education hours. In addition to pre-school, a fee is charged for the care of a child in part-time early childhood education as a monthly part-time early childhood education fee, including for full-time early childhood education during school holidays (autumn break, Christmas break, winter break) that fall within the school year. A full-time early childhood education fee is charged for August and June if full-time early childhood education is provided for more than three days.

Reviews and changes to customer fees

The early years education fee is determined by family size, gross income and the length of time spent in early years education. The fee is set for the time being, but it must be reviewed when

there is a significant change in the family’s income (a change of +/- 10% in gross income),
the size of the family changes,
the child’s early years education period changes,
current regulations and decisions are changing
the payment tu s out to be incorrect.

Families must notify the early years education billing department in writing (with supporting documents) of any changes to the information affecting the fee. The change must be permanent. For changes lasting less than three months, the monthly fee will not be adjusted.

If your income changes, please create a new income statement in eDaisys. Remember to attach the necessary supporting documents (e.g. your most recent tax assessment, details of rental income and any deductions).

Please notify us of any changes in your family circumstances: Hanne Ylitalo, hanne.ylitalo@keuruu.fi.

Reporting income

New customers must submit their family’s income details for the purpose of determining the fee, or give their consent to the maximum customer fee, via eDaisy within one month of starting early years education. If the family’s income changes, the income details or consent to the maximum fee must also be submitted via eDaisy. The change must be permanent, as the monthly fee will not be reviewed for changes lasting less than three (3) months. If the decision on the fee was based on incorrect information provided by the client or their representative, the fee may be adjusted retrospectively for a period of one year. A general review of fees for all families is carried out annually at the start of the term, from 1 August.

Guardians can give their consent for the Income Register and Kela to be accessed for the purposes of early childhood education fees, in which case the guardian does not need to submit income details. The City of Keuruu has access to salary, pension and benefit data from the Income Register and Kela, but the city cannot use the income data in the Income Register to determine early childhood education fees without the customer’s consent. However, not all income data is currently available from the Income Register, so the relevant income data must be submitted

adult education grants, scholarships, certificate of enrolment
child support and benefits
capital income: interest, dividends, rent, etc., and capital gains
forestry income, hectares of forest by municipality, tax certificate
business and professional income, the profit and loss account and balance sheet for the last financial year, and the most recently approved tax certificate
income from farming and business activities
as a deduction from income: maintenance payments made to another family

If the decision to impose a charge was clearly based on incorrect information provided by the child’s parents or other guardians, the charge may be adjusted retrospectively for a period of up to one year. If the payment is incorrect due to an error made by the local authority, the provisions of Chapter 8 of the Administrative Procedure Act shall apply to the correction.

A family is defined as persons living together in a joint household, whether married or in a marriage-like relationship, together with their minor children who live in the same household.

When determining the client fee, the family’s income is calculated by taking into account all taxable ea ed and capital income, tax-exempt income and imputed forestry income. Holiday pay (5%) is added to the gross salary if the client does not provide a separate statement regarding holiday pay. If income varies, the average monthly income over a longer period is taken into account.

The following are taken into account as income

gross salary (including various allowances, bonuses, commissions, etc.)
benefits in kind subject to tax (e.g. telephone, meal, car and housing allowances)
capital income (e.g. dividend, interest and rental income; including children in early childhood education)
forestry revenue
income from self-employment and business activities (including start-up grants)
pensions and annuities (including those for children in early childhood education)
maintenance payments and maintenance allowances (for children in early years education)
ea ings-related allowance
basic daily allowance (Kela)
labour market support
shift allowance
training allowance/training grant
wages ea ed through apprenticeship training
Rehabilitation allowance/rehabilitation benefit paid by Kela and the insurance company
sick pay
mate ity, pate ity and parental allowance (including special care allowance and special mate ity allowance)
flexible/partial care allowance
Compensation for loss of ea ings (insurance)
foster care allowance
informal care allowance
grant for work
a student’s ea ed income

The following are not included in the income

child benefit
home care allowance
private healthcare subsidy
childcare allowance
care allowance for pensioners
child supplement to a pension
maintenance allowance under the Rehabilitation Benefits Act
reimbursement of foster care costs
medical treatment and examination costs covered by accident insurance
disability allowance
housing benefit
military aid
front-line allowance
student finance
adult education grant
scholarships and other similar grants awarded on the basis of academic achievement
income support
the daily allowance and travel allowance paid as part of income support
maintenance allowance under the Rehabilitation Benefits Act relating to labour market-oriented adult education
expense allowance under the Act on Public Employment and Business Services
daily allowance in accordance with the travel regulations
expense allowances, such as the daily allowance for overseas travel
mileage allowances

The following are taken into account as deductions from income: maintenance payments made and other similar costs arising from actual family relationships, as well as any monetary benefit withheld for a fixed period or for life in connection with the transfer of property (compensation).

Payment reductions and exemptions

Decisions on fee reductions or waivers granted under Section 4 of the Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care are made by the head of the nursery. A written application must be submitted for a fee reduction or waiver. The application must be accompanied by expert justification, such as a statement from a social worker, rehabilitation counsellor or other relevant expert.

A child’s illness

If a child has 11 or more sick days during a calendar month, half of the monthly early years education fee will be charged. If the absence due to illness lasts for the entire calendar month, no fee will be charged.

Other absence

The monthly fee is also charged for periods when the child is temporarily absent. If the child is absent for the entire calendar month, half the monthly fee will be charged. If the child attends childcare for even one day during the calendar month, the full monthly fee will be charged, unless it is the so-called ‘fee-free July’.

Summer break and a month of free treatment

The fee is charged for a maximum of 11 calendar months during the operating year. The operating year runs from 1 August to 31 July. July is a fee-free month, provided that the child’s early years education began in August and continued without interruption until the end of June. Use of the early childhood education place may be suspended for at least six weeks during the holiday season (2 May–30 September). In this case, no fee will be charged for a continuous absence, provided that the absence has been notified to the nursery manager by May at the latest, and for absences in May by 15 April. The collection of the monthly early childhood education fee ceases upon termination of the early childhood education place.

The start and end of early childhood education

For the month in which early years education begins or ends, the monthly fee is charged in proportion to the actual time spent in early years education. When calculating the reduced fee, 21 operating days are used as the basis for calculation. If parents do not accept an early childhood education place that has been applied for and granted for their child, and do not cancel the start of the early childhood education relationship in accordance with the decision, they will be charged half of the monthly fee determined under the Client Fees Act.

Pate ity leave

During the pate ity leave period, the child is not entitled to early years education. However, the childcare place will remain the same during the period of absence, and no monthly early years education fees will be charged for that period.

Invoicing

The monthly fee for early childhood education is invoiced monthly in arrears. If necessary, the fee may be collected by direct debit.

If you wish, you can have the invoice for the monthly early years education fee sent directly to your online banking account by selecting the ‘notify of receipt’ option in your online banking for that particular invoice.

The collection fee and the sending of payment reminders have been transferred to Intrum Collection. If payment is still not made, Intrum Collection will refer the invoice to the enforcement authority for collection without further notice

Payment calculator

Use the fee calculator to estimate your family’s early years education fees.

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