Place guarantee in ECEC

Legal entitlement to pre-primary education

Children younger than 3 do not have a legal entitlement to a place in a nursery school. The municipality is responsible for providing a place in a catchment nursery school (mateřská škola) for every child who reaches at least 3 years of age before the beginning of the school year (by 31 August), if the child’s parents apply for one. Weekly or daily length of the stay is not limited by the law, the child is entitled to be educated during the whole operational time of the nursery schools. Children fulfilling compulsory pre-school education must spend at least 4 hours per day in nursery school.

The legal entitlement is based on two statements of the Education Act:

• Sec. 34, par. 3: „…The nursery school established by municipality or union of municipalities admits preferentially the children who reach 3 years of age until the commencement of the school year if they have their permanent residence, or in the case of a foreigner their place of residence in respective school district (sec. 178, par. 3 and 4) or if they are imposed in children's home in the district, up to the capacity stated in the School Register.”
• Sec. 178, par. 2: „The municipality is obliged to ensure conditions for pre-primary education of children who are given priority to be admitted according to sec. 34, par 3. The municipality a) establishes and dissolvesa nursery school, or b) ensures pre-primary education in a nursery school established by another municipality or by a union of municipalities.”

The municipality has to ensure enough places in a nursery school it has established, or it has to ensure pre-primary education in a nursery school as established by another municipality or a union of municipalities. If the municipality establishes only one school, it is a catchment school (spádová škola) for all children from the municipal district. If there are more schools in the municipality, the municipality defines the catchment schools and their school districts by a commonly binding decree.

If the child was not admitted to any of chosen schools (and cannot be placed in the catchment school due to capacity restraints), the parents can contact the municipality, which should ensure the place for the child. Municipalities with more school districts often actively offer places in other schools to parents whose applications was rejected.

Even though children who have turned 3 years old before the start of the school year have a legal entitlement to a place in a nursery school the Czech School Inspectorate’s annual report for the 2024/25 school year states that not all three year old children can be admitted to nursery schools due to capacity constraints. In cases where a child with a legal entitlement was not admitted to the catchment nursery school the parents can appeal this decision first to the school and if this appeal doesn’t succeed then to the region's education authority.

According to the amended Act on Children's Groups, municipalities will be legally responsible for providing every child with a space in an education and care facility starting with the child’s third birthday starting in the 2026/2027 school year. This responsibility precedes the mandate to provide a space in nursery school as defined by the Education Act. If a child was not admitted to the catchment nursery school and the parents make a request to the municipality, the municipality is responsible for ensuring the child can be placed in a nursery school (mateřská škola) or children’s group (dětská skupina) run by the municipality or a different provider within the same catchment area or, with parental agreement, in a facility outside the catchment area. If the municipality cannot fulfil this responsibility the parents are entitled to financial compensation of up to the legal maximum limit for the fee for children's group attendance for the care arrangements they have secured. This responsibility starts with the child’s 3^rd birthday and ends on 31 August after this day. Starting on 1 September the child is entitled to a place in nursery school (mateřská škola) as described above.

Compulsory last year of pre-primary education

Compulsory pre-primary education lasts one year, or, in the case of children with "postponement of the compulsory school attendance", two years. According to the Education Act, the obligation applies to children from the beginning of the school year (September) following the day they reach the age of 5 years up to the beginning of their primary education.

The compulsory education takes place through regular daily attendance at nursery school on weekdays, 4 hours every day. However, children can be educated during the whole operational time of the nursery schools.

The compulsory pre-primary education can also be fulfilled in preparatory classes (přípravné třídy) of basic schools. And in the form of individual tuition (home education).

The duty to ensure pre-primary education falls within the competence of municipalities.

In the 2024/2025 school year 99.1 % of five-year-old children were attending compulsory pre-primary education. Of these 94.4 % were attending nursery school, 1.8 % were attending preparatory classes and 2.2 % fulfilled compulsory education through individual (home) education. (source: Czech School Inspectorate)

Affordability

Free pre-primary education

Education in the last (compulsory) year of a public or state nursery school (mateřská škola) is provided free of charge. A child in the compulsory year is entitled to be educated during the whole operational time of the nursery school and the whole stay of a child is free of charge (not only the 4 hours of compulsory education activities). Education in a preparatory class (přípravná třída) in public and state schools is also free of charge, but only during the instruction time. 

Children are entitled to school meals in all types of schools and these can be subject to charge (regulated by the Decree on School Catering in public and state schools).

Paid early childhood education and care

In non-compulsory years of public and state nursery schools (mateřská škola), the level of fees is set by the establisher, although it is to a large extent regulated by Decree on Pre-primary Education. The maximum amount is tied to the legal minimum wage (can reach 8 % of the monthly minimum wage at most). Parents or legal guardians are exempt from fees if they receive specific social benefits listed in the decree. A school head can also reduce or remit the fees in other cases.

In private and denominational schools, there are no regulations controlling the amount of fees charged. The fees are determined by the school head and the information of fees should be publicly available.

In children's groups (dětské skupiny), the upper limit of parental fees for children under 3 years of age (until 31 August after they turn 3) is defined by the Act on Children’s Groups, if the given capacity place is financed from the operating subsidy provided from the state budget.. The upper limit is calculated as percentage of the monthly minimum wage, of which it makes a third. For older children, the fee amount is not regulated. The fee amount is included in the contract made between the provider and the parents.

Children are entitled to school meals in all types of schools and these can be subject to charge (regulated by the Decree on School Catering in public and state schools). Catering in children’s groups (dětské skupiny) depends on the contract between the provider and the parents. There is no limit on catering fees for children’s groups.

The transport is ensured by parents individually. If the distance between the catchment school and the child’s place of permanent residence is more than 4 km, the region is obliged to ensure the transport, but it does not need to be free of charge.

The school can offer additional extracurricular activities, e.g. arts and sports activities, language courses or school trips, which can be paid.

A detailed description of the financing of early childhood education and care can be found in chapter Funding in education.