Family Day Care

Family day care is a form of early childhood education and care. It is especially suitable for toddlers and children of preschool age. In family day care, a child receives personal care in a small group in a home-like environment. Oulu has municipal and private family day care organizers.

More information about available day care places is available from the service coordinators of private early childhood education. You can also  find information about available day care places on the website of the Oulu Private Day Nurses Association (Finnish pages).

Applying for Family Day Care

Applying for family day care differs slightly if you are applying for municipal or private organizers. More info and instructions here.

Family Day Care in the Carer's Home

Family day carer can be a municipal worker or a private service provider who cares for children in their own home. The group size is four in all forms of family day care. On top of this a preschool age child or a school age child can join the group for an evening.

The care time is agreed together with the guardian based on their work, studies, or other schedules. A family day carer's work day lasts 8-9 hours by rule; about 40 hours a week. 

If the municipal family day carer is absent, back-up care will be provided for the child. A back-up care place is agreed when care begins and the child will meet the back-up carer if possible. Back-up care is organized in group family care, daycare centre, or with another family day carer. If the child is in private family day care, the child's family is responsible for arranging back-up care.

The chief of municipal family day care is the regional family day care coordinator. The activity of private family day cares is monitored by early childhood education and care service coordinators. 

Group Family Day Care

Group family day care is municipally organized early childhood care based on legislation. Group family day care is a combination of home-like environment, a small group, and planned activities. 

Group family day cares employ two carers and a maximum of eight children. If there is also a child carer in the group, the maximum amount of children is 12. The activities take place in a space reserved for this exact purpose, or in daycare centre, or, for example, in a house.

Piilikuja Group family daycare centre.