Organisation of the ECEC system

The Danish ECEC system consists of different ECEC settings that can be established as:

• Age-integrated day care institutions for children up to the age of six (ISCED 01-02);

• Separate settings for children under the age of three (nurseries, ISCED 01) and over the age of three (kindergartens, ISCED 02).

In addition to centre-based ECEC provision, there is a system of regulated home-based provision (day care in private homes). Usually, children in home-based provision are under the age of three.

Responsible authorities and availability of ECEC

The Danish ECEC system is under the auspices of the Ministry of Children and Education. The ministry determines the overall framework and legislation, while municipalities are locally responsible for organising and monitoring the ECEC settings.

All children are legally entitled to publicly subsidised ECEC provision. The municipalities are obliged to ensure publicly subsidised ECEC provision for all children from the age of 26 weeks (approximately six months) and until they start in primary and lower secondary school (usually around the age of six).

The municipalities provide a subsidy of at least 75 per cent of the expenses for a place in ECEC. This entails that parents pay a maximum of 25 per cent of the expenses for their child’s place in ECEC. Parents may also be entitled to a number of extra subsidies. For more information on this, please visit chapter 3.1.

Educational guidelines

Educational guidelines apply for all children in centre-based and home-based provision.

The pedagogical learning environment must be organised within and across six curriculum themes:

1. Comprehensive personal development;

2. Social development;

3. Communication and language;

4. Body, senses and movement;

5. Nature, outdoor and science;

6. Culture, aesthetics and community.

It is decided locally how the six curriculum themes are implemented into the pedagogical learning environment in practice. For more information on educational guidelines in ECEC, please visit chapter 3.3.

References

Legislation and official policy documents

Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2018: Ministerial order on pedagogical objectives and content in six curriculum themes (Bekendtgørelse om pædagogiske mål og indhold i seks læreplanstemaer), BEK no. 968 of 28/06/2018. [Accessed 11 November 2025]

Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2025: Act on Day Care Facilities (Bekendtgørelse af lov om dags-, fritids- og klubtilbud m.v. til børn og unge (dagtilbudsloven)), LBK no. 1038 of 11/08/2025. [Accessed 11 November 2025]