4.1. Organisation

Access

Local governments are obliged to provide all children aged from 1.5 to 7 years permanently residing in their catchment area with the opportunity to attend a preschool child care institution in the catchment area if the parents so wish.

Preschool Child Care Institutions Act § 10. Duties of local governments

(1) A rural municipality or city government shall provide all children from eighteen months to seven years of age whose residence is in the administrative territory of the given rural municipality or city and whose parents so wish with the opportunity to attend a preschool institution in the catchment area.

For children with special needs, conditions will be created for learning in integration groups together with other children. If there are no possibilities to establish an integration group in a local child care institution, the local municipality or city government creates special groups or establishes special preschools.

Lisbon strategy sets out that by 2020, 95% of all children from 4 years old to school age (i.e. in Estonia, children aged 4 to 6) will be involved in basic education programmes.

In 2019/2020, 66,330 children attended 614 preschool child care institutions. 81% of children aged under 3 years and 94% of children aged 3-6 years attended preschool child care institutions.

In 2007–2013, the Government of the Republic supported local governments in creating new preschool places and renovating the existing ones from European Structural Funds to the extent of approximately 47 million euros. Support for local governments for creating new preschool places is included also in the next ESF period 2014-2020 in the amount of approximately 40.5 million euros to be covered by the ESF and ERDF measures. The amendments to the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act adopted in 2014 allow local government to be flexible in providing preschool places for children aged 1.5-3 years. At the request and with the agreement of a parent, a local government can replace a preschool place for daycare, whereas the parent’s own contribution must not exceed 20% of the minimum wage established by a Regulation of the Government of the Republic.

Affordability

In a preschool child care institution, parents cover the enrolment fee and the costs of children’s catering (so-called study place fee). Parents may also partially cover the management costs of the preschool child care institution as well as the remuneration of the staff and the costs of teaching aids. Preschool child care institutions are mostly municipally owned and the local governments establish the rate for the amount to be covered by parents. The fee may be differentiated according to the age of the child, the financial situation of the family, etc. There are also municipalities where parents do not have to pay at all for a study place. According to the law, the share of costs per child covered by a parent may not exceed 20% of the minimum salary established by the Government of the Republic.

See more about the financing of ECEC in Chapter 3.

Admission Requirements and Choice of ECEC Institution

The procedures for admission to and dismissal of children from a preschool child care institution and determination of the catchment area of the institution are established by the municipality or city government. Parents are free in their choice of the child care institution for their child if there are vacant places in the child care institution they wish the child to attend. Parents need to apply for admission. As preschool child care institutions work in the rhythm of an academic year, deadlines for submission of applications are generally established.

Allocation of places by local governments is based on the preference of parents in terms of proximity to home or to employment. A rural municipality or city government admits to a child care institution first the children residing in the catchment area of the child care institution, giving preference to a child, if possible, the other children of whose family attend the same child care institution. If vacant places exist after the admission of children residing in the catchment area, children from outside the catchment area shall be admitted, preferring first the children residing in the same rural municipality or city and thereafter children of parents who are employed in the catchment area.

Children with special educational needs are admitted to integration or special group on the basis of a written application of a parent and a decision of the advisory committee. The procedure and principles for admission of children to and their exclusion from a special preschool or group have been established by a regulation of the Minister of Education and Research.

Group size and child/staff ratios

Based on needs and possibilities, crèche and preschool groups are formed in preschool child care institutions.

Crèche groups are for children of up to 3 years of age.

Preschool groups are divided by age:

Children between three and six years of age;
Children between six and seven years of age and the children in whose case commencement of performance of the duty to attend school has been postponed.

Parents or guardians may submit proposals for the formation of mixed groups. Mixed groups include crèche-aged and preschool-aged children.

On the proposal of the director of a child care institution, a rural municipality or city government may, as required, form integration groups in child care institutions where children with special needs learn together with other children, and groups for children with special needs, which include only children with special needs.

The number of children in a group:

Up to 14 children in a crèche group,
Up to 20 children in a preschool group,
Up to 18 children in a mixed group,
Up to 12 children in a group for children with physical disabilities.

With a view to ensuring children a safe environment, a person employed in the field of learning and teaching (core practitioner) or an employee assisting the teacher (assistant) is in a crèche group together with up to seven children, in a mixed group together with up to nine children, in a preschool group together with up to ten children, in an integration group together with up to eight children and in a group for children with special needs together with two to six children, depending on the special needs of the children. The qualification requirements for a preschool teacher are higher education (ISCED 6) and pedagogical competence. No minimum qualification level is required for assistants.

Annual, weekly and daily organisation

The local government shall, on the proposal of the board of trustees and based on the need of the families in the area, decide whether a preschool institution operates permanently or seasonally. If on the territory of a local government the temporary need for child care institution places is greater than the total number of existing places, the local government will provide all persons interested with the opportunity to obtain a part-time place at a preschool institution.

The school year begins on 1 September and lasts from the start of studies in one calendar year until the start of new studies in the next calendar year.

Upon planning teaching and learning of a group, the objectives, subject matter, content of teaching and activities of the planned period (a week, a month, etc.) shall be specified. Planning of teaching and learning of a group shall be flexible and enable the teacher to make changes if necessary. The curriculum of a preschool child care institution shall determine neither the number of teaching and learning activities per week nor the timing thereof. Teaching and learning form an integrated process throughout the day a child spends in a preschool child care institution and lessons are not separated from the rest of the activities.

Teaching and learning at a preschool child care institution are based on the daily schedule of the group. In the daily routine daily activities, play, free time, and teaching and learning planned by a teacher alternate. The daily schedule is based on the curriculum of the child care institution taking into consideration health protection requirements, opening hours of the child care institution as well as age and individual needs of the children.

The daily schedule shall take into account recommendations on the time children spend in the fresh air as well as healthy eating habits. The daily schedule for children aged 1 to 3 shall include time for sleep at least once a day. Older children shall be provided at least one hour of rest for sleeping or other quiet activities. The daily schedule sets out the time a child is taken to the child care institution and the time the child is taken home, considering the organisation of teaching and learning and recommendations of the board of trustees. Every day the child shall stay outside once or twice a day depending on the weather conditions.

The daily schedule for children of 6 to 7 years of age includes activities aimed at smooth adaptation to school life. Emphasis is put on developing psychical processes (perception, memory, imagination and thinking) and formation of basic study skills (observation and listening skills, abilities to compare, rate, count, measure, group and model).

The opening hours of a preschool institution shall be decided by the local government on the basis of a proposal from the board of trustees. A typical day