2-Year Preschool Education Trial

The following daycare centres from Oulu were chosen randomly by the Ministry of Education and Culture’s research team:  

Northern Region 

• Tuulikello Daycare Centre 

• Kuivasjärvi Daycare Centre 

• Jatuli Tarha Daycare Centre 

• Herukka Daycare Centre 

Southern Region 

• Lämsäjärvi Daycare Centre 

• Kangaskontio Daycare Centre 

• Maikkula Daycare Centre 

• Metsokangas Daycare Centre 

• Knuutilankangas Daycare Centre 

Eastern Region 

• Vesala Daycare Centre 

• Ylikiiminki Daycare Centre 

• Korvensuora Daycare Centre 

• Hönttämäki Daycare Centre 

• Huonesuo Daycare Centre 

• Myllyoja Daycare Centre 

• Vekara-aho Daycare Centre 

• Tuokkonen Daycare Centre 

• Kiiminkijoki Daycare Centre 

Central Region 

• Kangaspuisto Daycare Centre 

• Pikku-Aino Daycare Centre 

• Kisakenttä Daycare Centre 

• Syynimaa Daycare Centre 

• Kastelli Community Center Daycare 

• Värttö Daycare Centre 

• Meri-Toppila Daycare Centre 

Intention of the 2-year preschool trial 

• Reinforce educational equality 

• Develop the quality and effectiveness of preschool education 

• Clarify the continuum from early childhood care into pre- and primary education 

• Clarify the service choices of families 

• Learn about the effects of 2-year preschool education in children’s development and learning, social skills, and formation of healthy self-esteem 

Research, observation, and evaluation 

The realization of 2-year preschool trial is observed and evaluated nationally and locally. The realization of the trial is studied by observing and evaluating the trial’s execution, target group, pedagogical and action practices as well as the principles of the trial’s curriculum and local curricula. The goal of the trial is to produce information about preschool education’s quality, the trial’s success, and possible development targets of 2-year preschool education. 

The trial groups must participate in the evaluation of their activity. 

Information gathered by the project will be used as a basis for national decision-making. 

The National Agency for Education has prepared curriculum principles for the 2-year preschool education trial and Oulu’s own 2-year preschool education curriculum will be prepared during the spring. 

The 2-year preschool trial follows the trial curriculum. In preschool education, the children will familiarize themselves with interests by playing and investigating as well as in other ways suitable for children. Each child is offered a chance to learn at their own pace. Two years gives the child and the preschool staff plenty of time to get to know each other and work together as well as study the child’s interests in more depth. 

On top of varied activities rest, good meals, and care is included in preschool education. The guardians are a significant resource in preschool education so cooperation with them is substantial. 2-year preschool education reinforces children’s social and learning skills in groups as well as developing a good base for transferring to basic education.  

The children taking part in the trial are comparable to 6-year-old children applying for Kela’s allowances for preschool education. 

For home day care allowances this means that the full allowance (65,97 € per month) is paid if the sibling of a child under 3 years old who is entitled for home day care allowance takes part in the trial. If the child taking part in the trial also participates in complementary municipal early childhood care, allowances will not be paid. 

For private day care allowances this means that the private day care allowance will be lower (64,24 € per month) and the possible additional care allowance is halved if the child taking part in the trial also participates in private early childhood care. If the child only participates in the trial in a private daycare centre (without complementary early childhood care), private day care allowances will not be paid. 

The trial does not affect flexible or partial allowances. 

If the home day care allowances or private day care allowance is paid for the child, the family must inform Kela that the child is participating in the trial. It is easiest to inform Kela about participation via the electronic service.

Children taking part in trail groups receive 2-year preschool education free of charge as well as the possible home day care allowances similarly as in one-year preschool education. An exception such as this has been made possible because of the 2-year preschool education trial’s arrangement (the Constitutional Law Committee’s statement about the preparation of legislation concerning 2-year preschool education). 

2-year preschool education is free of charge. It is usually arranged for 4 hours per day according to basic education activity periods. If the child participates in complementary early childhood care, the early childhood care time may be subject to a charge. 

If the distance from the child’s home to the preschool centre is longer than five kilometers, the child is entitled to transportation benefits free of charge from their front door to the preschool centre according to the Basic Education Act (32 §). The child is also entitled to transportation benefits free of charge when the journey is deemed dangerous, exhausting, or dangerous due to the child’s age or any other reason. The transportation is primarily arranged by the guardians with the municipality’s aid. Secondarily the municipality will arrange the transportation. 

The 2-year preschool education trial reinforces the support for the child’s growth and learning. The children taking part in the trial are entitled to support in development, learning, and well-being. Growth and learning support defined by the Basic Education Act (three step support) and student support defined by the Student and Pupil Welfare Act both also extend to the five-year-old children participating in the trial. The support is planned together with the guardian. 

It is not possible to participate in preparatory education during the 2-year preschool education trial 

Because preparatory education is full-time and centers on language development, it is not possible to participate in the 2-year preschool education trial during it. If it is discovered that the child would benefit more from preparatory education, the 2-year preschool education can be discontinued, and the child can transfer to preparatory education. 

The 2-year preschool education is observed and evaluated during the research project. The subject of research is the trial’s realization and it studies, among other things, the trial’s realization in municipalities, the effects of the trial on children, staff, and guardians as well as the children’s experiences. The follow-up study offers a chance for the children to participate in evaluation and the guardians can be interviewed. The researchers will contact the guardians about the follow-up study. 

Information about your child’s participation in the 2-year preschool education trial will be recorded in a trial registry overseen by the National Agency for Education. Even if the child doesn’t participate in the 2-year preschool education trial in the daycare centre that does participate, information about the child will be recorded. The follow-up study will evaluate the trial with a control group. Evaluation reports of individual children or guardian interview results will not be reported in the follow-up study, and the participants cannot be recognized.