Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Organisational variations and alternative structures in ECEC

Norway

4.Early childhood education and care

4.5Organisational variations and alternative structures in ECEC

Last update: 27 November 2023

Open kindergarten is a third type of early childhood education and care available in Norway. There are a total of 110 open kindergartens in Norway (36 municipal and 74 private). 

Parents or guardians and their children attend the open kindergarten whenever they want within the opening hours. These institutions are regarded as meeting places where pre-primary teachers, parents and children can share time together. Open kindergartens are popular, especially among immigrant families in the major cities and among parents on parental leave. Some open kindergartens are free of charge. Others charge a small amount for each participant, or for activities, food and materials. See the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training website.