Client fees for early childhood education will be reduced from August 2021, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture said in a press release.
The government's idea is that the more children go to kindergartens and daycare, the more parents can go to work.
According to government information, fees will be cut by raising the income thresholds on which the fees are based by 31%. In addition, the fees charged for siblings will be lowered to 40% (instead of the current 50%) of the imputed full-time early childhood education and care fee for the youngest child.
The Government's proposal to amend the Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care was adopted in December 2020.
The amendments to the Act will enter into force on 1 August 2021.
Improve employment
According to the Ministry of Education, the purpose of these amendments "is to improve employment and to increase the participation rate in early childhood education and care."
"The client fees for early childhood education and care of low-income and middle-income families, in particular, will decrease," the government says.
All families with more than one child in early childhood education and care will also benefit from the change in the sibling discount.
The Ministry of Education and Culture estimates that, as a result of the legislative amendments, approximately 20,000 families will be entitled to free early childhood education and care.
