Admission to places

The entitlement to a place in a kindergarten applies to children who turn one year old no later than the end of October in the year that they apply for a place. Children born after October will be entitled to a place in the following year.

Admissions to kindergartens - the municipalities' responsibilities

Municipalities are responsible for ensuring the right to a kindergarten place is fulfilled. When municipalities facilitate kindergarten places, they must take into account transfers, the wishes of users, and the need for places for children under the age of three years old. 

All approved kindergartens in the municipality should cooperate on the admission of children. Municipalities should facilitate a coordinated admissions process, which takes into account the diversity of and distinctive nature of kindergarten. The wishes and needs of users should also be emphasised during the admissions process. Through a coordinated admissions process, it should be possible to ensure an equal distribution of children and of municipal and private kindergartens.

The Kindergarten Act § 12. 

The purpose of kindergartens, their admissions pool, admissions criteria, and ownership type should be respected. Joint authority for admissions and common admissions criteria may be appropriate and can be agreed.  However, the obligation to cooperate on admissions does not restrict the right of kindergartens to define their admissions pool in their regulations, and to separately admit individual children in line with regulations on procedural rules. 

Further details on admissions priorities in accordance with the Kindergarten Act § 13