2026

Results of the two-year pre-primary education trial published 

Finland carried out a two-year pre-primary education trial between 2021 and 2024. Five-year-old children in selected municipalities were invited to start pre-primary education one year earlier than usual.

According to results published in early 2026, participation in early childhood education and care increased by 3.5 percentage points. The increase was linked to free and compulsory nature of pre-primary education and transport support for families. Feedback from families and teachers was mainly positive.  

Children in the trial showed similar development in socio-emotional skills and learning readiness as those in the current system, which combines early childhood education at age five with one year of pre-primary education at age six. Compared to home care, the trial significantly improved children’s skills as assessed during the experiment. At the start of primary education, differences between groups were not clearly observed, but the results are subject to uncertainty.

2025

National Core Curriculum for ECEC to be updated

In response to the changes to the ECEC Act (540/2018) effective from January 2025, which removes the obligation for local ECEC providers to draft their own curricula, Finnish National Agency for Education has initiated an update of the National Core Curriculum for ECEC. This update will encompass all sections of the current core curriculum and is designed to provide more precise national guidance for local practices. 

The process includes consultations with ECEC providers, educators, stakeholders, researchers, as well as children and their families, ensuring children's voices are heard in decisions affecting them. The revised core curriculum is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025 and implemented from January 2026.

National recommendations on the use of AI in education

In March 2025, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) released national recommendations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in early childhood education and care, primary and lower secondary education, general and vocational upper secondary education, as well as liberal adult education. These recommendations outline legal obligations and guidelines to support the responsible, safe, and innovative use of AI in educational settings.

The guidelines emphasize that education providers must establish clear policies and provide guidance to staff on the use of AI applications. Before implementing AI tools, providers are responsible for assessing their compliance with relevant laws, such as the EU AI Act, data protection regulations, and copyright legislation, as well as their alignment with the objectives of the national core curricula.

A wide range of evidence, including international comparative data, was used in the development of these recommendations. The process also involved extensive consultations with various stakeholders, including educators, researchers, and families. Children and young people were engaged through participatory methods to ensure their perspectives were considered in shaping the final recommendations.

The "AI in Education – Legislation and Recommendations" material aims to support education providers in utilizing AI as part of teaching and learning. The material is divided into two parts: obligations and recommendations, and the background materials that support them. The material is available on the EDUFI website in Finnish and Swedish, and later also in English.

2024

The national trial for two-year pre-primary education ended, a follow-up study being prepared

The national trial for two-year pre-primary education ended in May 2024. The children participating in the trial began pre-primary education at the age of five instead of six. The main objective of the trial was to strengthen educational equality.

The trial, launched by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2021, involved more than 100 municipalities. The two-year pre-primary education programme followed a new pilot curriculum. The trial also had a strong research component. The national follow-up study conducted during the trial will be completed in 2025. 

National data on ECEC staff published for the first time

For the first time, national statistics on ECEC staff have been released through the education administration's reporting portal, Vipunen. 

The published reports allow users to explore both permanent and temporary ECEC staff by professional group, municipality, and region. The data in these reports come from Varda, ECEC resource maintained by the Finnish National Agency for Education. Varda collects information not only on staff but also on ECEC facilities, children in ECEC, their guardians, and the associated fees. From 2024 onward, details on the support provided in ECEC will also be included in Varda.

Vipunen's statistics are based on data and registers collected by Statistics Finland, the Ministry of Culture and Education and the Finnish National Agency for Education. The reports on Vipunen are mostly available in English, but the ECEC section is currently only available in the national languages.