Day Care and Schools

Day care

Municipalities and private day care centres provide day care, also called early childhood education and care. You can apply for a place in a day care centre (päiväkoti), group family day care (ryhmäperhepäivähoito) or family day care (perhepäivähoito). Family day care involves a care provider looking after the children in his or her own personal home.

In Finland, all children under school age are entitled to day care arranged by the municipality after the end of their parents’ maternity and paternity leave. In Kouvola, early childhood education is provided in Finnish and in one kindergarten in Swedish.

Children must attend preschool education or other similar activities for one year before compulsory education begins. Children normally enter preschool education at the age of six and comprehensive school at the age of seven.

Learning by playing

Early childhood education in Finland emphasizes learning by playing. Developing social skills is equally important. Children receive a daily breakfast, warm lunch and afternoon snack as part of the service. Younger children normally take a short nap in the afternoon.

Children who are starting in a public day care centre usually have an introductory period in which their parents or guardians can accompany them as they get to know the new routine. Parents or guardians can use this opportunity to see for themselves how things work and ask questions. Some of the city’s day care centres offer evening or round-the-clock care. This is ideal for parents and guardians who work in the evenings or do shift work.

Day Care Service Instructors (All email addresses: firstname.lastname@kouvola.fi)

Jaana Sihvola
Tel. 020 615 4890 (City centre)
Anu Peltola
Tel. 020 615 5400 (Kuusankoski, Jaala and Valkeala areas)

School starts at age 7

Children start comprehensive school in the year they turn seven. The City of Kouvola assigns children to their local public school (lähikoulu) the year before their comprehensive schooling is set to begin. The city sends out an information package with enrollment information in the spring before school begins.

Children who have arrived in Kouvola from abroad and are residents of the city, are eligible for a period of preparatory education to ease their transition into the Finnish school system. This period takes from six months to a year. The preparatory education includes language instruction, and depending on the child’s age and needs, extra support from a staff of education professionals.

School supplies provided

Primary schools for children (grades 1 through 6) provide all of the necessary school supplies and a warm and nutritious daily lunch to students free of charge. All that families need to supply is a rucksack for books, a pencil case and appropriate clothes for outdoor and indoor exercise.

After sixth grade, children continue on to lower secondary school or grades 7 through 9. Before they finish their three years of lower secondary school, students in Finland must decide whether they wish to continue on to general upper secondary school or vocational school.

School Contact information:

Sari Keskinen
Account Manager
Tel. 040 489 9340
sari.keskinen@kouvola.fi

See locations of schools in Kouvola

Early Childhood Education

You must apply for an early childhood education placement four months before the start of care. Children are entitled to early childhood education from approximately 9 months of age until they begin school. If both guardians are working or studying, a place can be arranged more quickly. Early childhood education in Kouvola is provided in municipal daycare centers, family daycare, and private daycare centers.

You can apply for a daycare placement electronically or via a paper form. More information is available on the City of Kouvola website under Applying for Early Childhood Education. The completed application should be submitted to any daycare center or the city hall.

Early childhood education is subject to a fee based on family income. Meals provided during daycare hours are free of charge. Please indicate any special diets or allergies in the application. More details on fees are available under “Early Childhood Education Fees” on the Kouvola website.

All children participate in pre-primary education one year before school, typically at the age of six. Pre-primary education is provided in daycare centers and some schools. Registration is required. More information can be found on the City of Kouvola website under “Pre-primary Education.”

In addition to daycare and family daycare, the City of Kouvola offers open early childhood education, which is free, diverse, and available to all families. Activities take place both indoors and outdoors across Kouvola. Children participate together with a parent, grandparent, or another close adult. The program provides children with opportunities to play and learn with peers, while adults can connect with others, receive peer support, and get guidance on parenting and available services. More information can be found at www.kouvola.fi/avoinvarhaiskasvatus.

For questions about early childhood education, contact the service coordinators:
Jaana Sihvola | jaana.sihvola@kouvola.fi | Tel. 020 615 4890
Anu Kaipela | anu.kaipela@kouvola.fi | Tel. 020 615 5400

Preparatory Education for Basic Education

Preparatory education is intended for immigrant children who do not yet speak Finnish.

Children arriving in Kouvola without Finnish language skills are placed in a preparatory education group within basic education. Students typically spend six months to one year in preparatory education before transferring to their local school.

Preparatory education is provided in small teaching groups to help children learn Finnish and integrate into Finnish society while respecting their cultural background.

In Finland, education is compulsory for all children residing in the country, including foreign nationals. Compulsory education begins at age 7 and continues until the student turns 18. Teaching, learning materials, and school meals are free of charge.

Inclusive Preparatory Education

Children in grades 1–2 are placed either in a flexible pre-primary and early education group at their local school or in a preparatory education group, depending on what best serves the child’s needs.

Each student in preparatory education receives an individual study plan, created in cooperation with the student’s guardians. This plan is evaluated at the end of the preparatory period.

Goals of Inclusive Preparatory Education:

Learning Finnish
Supporting age-appropriate development
Integrating into Finnish society
Maintaining and developing the student’s native language
Strengthening knowledge of the student’s own culture

Enrollment in Preparatory Education

To register your child for preparatory education, fill out the preliminary information form and submit it to the customer service representative for basic education:

City of Kouvola / Basic Education / Customer Service Representative
Torikatu 10 (P.O. Box 85), 45101 Kouvola

For more information, contact:
Sari Keskinen, Customer Representative in Education

sari.keskinen@kouvola.fi

Tel. 020 615 9340 / 040 489 9340
Address: Torikatu 10, 45100 Kouvola

Youth Services

Youth Services organize activities for leisure time, f.ex. events and cultural workshops. Excursions and camps are organized during school holidays. We have 10 Youth Centres around the town, two of them in the centre; NuPa and Lehdokin SporttiTalo. Multicultural youth work is part of our daily work in Kouvola. The activities are open to everyone. Contact information: Youth Counselor Virpi Kärkäs Tel. 020 615 8652 Email: virpi.karkas(at)kouvola.fi

Youth services on Facebook

Check out upcoming youth events and updates from here

NuPa's Facebook page

Youth services on Instagram

Check out recent posts from NuPa here

NuPa's Instagram page

Ohjaamo

Ohjaamo One-Stop Guidance Center is a place for under 30-year-olds, where they can receive free assistance and support for various purposes from studying and employment to housing and everything in between. You are welcome just as you are in any situation! You find us at Kouvolankatu 28 A from Monday to Thursday from 13.00 to 16.00. Contact information: Sanna Heimonen, Coordinator Tel. 020 615 1252 sanna.heimonen(at)kouvola.fi

Multicultural Centre Saaga

Multicultural Centre Saaga is an international meeting place in Kouvola town centre. You will find us at Kouvolankatu 14. We are open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm. We have many activities, also international youth evenings.

Saaga's website