Curriculum for pre-primary education

Pre-primary education is education provided to children free of charge during the year preceding compulsory primary education.
Pre-primary education is part of early childhood education, where play is an important form of activity. Pre-primary education implements pedagogic methods suitable for early childhood education.

The implementation of pre-primary education is guided by the National Core Curriculum for Pre-primary Education along with local City of Kuopio Pre-primary Education Curriculum, including the Kuopio preparatory instruction curriculum for 6-year-olds.

Pre-primary education is provided four hours a day on the days designated as working days for pre-primary education. In pre-primary school, the children get a free lunch.

In accordance with the Basic Education Act, every child must participate in pre-primary education or in such alternative activities as meet the objectives set for it. The responsibility for attendance in pre-primary education rests with the child’s guardian.

In Kuopio, pre-primary education is provided by the early childhood education services, with the exception of the Kissakuusi and Pihkainmäki schools in Karttula, where the responsibility for organizing pre-primary education lies with the basic education services. Pre-primary education takes place in municipal daycare centres and in preschool groups organized within schools. In pre-primary education organized by the early childhood education services, the minimum size of a pre-primary education group is seven children.

Cooperation between pre-primary education and early childhood care and education in Kuopio (Esi- ja alkuopetuksen yhteistyö Kuopiossa, in Finnish)

View Kuopio’s curriculum for pre-primary education here! Pre-primary curriculum (Esiopetussuunnitelma, pdf)