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Advice is available on weekdays for the following day care issues:
- municipal and private day care
- playgrounds and playschools
- drop-in day care centres
Service counsellors are available 9-12:
- by phone: 02 262 5610
- by email: varhaiskasvatus@turku.fi
- Early Childhood Education Chat
- Market Square Monitori 9 - 15.30 (on Wednesday 9 - 12)
The Finnish Adult Education Centre of Turku, owned by the City of Turku, is an education centre where you can study general, recreational and social studies. The centre is politically and ideologically independent.
The Finnish Adult Education Centre of Turku offers a large selection of high quality courses: it organises around 850–900 courses and lecture series per year.
General customer service centres Turku-piste and Monitori provide guidance on the different types of services available in Turku. For example, services related to sports, well-being and education have their individual help desks that offer more in-depth information.
At Turku-piste, you can find information on
- the city’s services and decisions
- various other matters, including housing, construction and repairs
Monitori Joint Services functions as a joint service centre for
In Turku, children attend one year of preschool education before their compulsory education starts.
• Preschool education groups operate both in day care centres and schools.
• There is four hours of preschool education per day between 8 and 13.
• The preschool education follows the preschool curriculum of the City of Turku.
• The contact information given is for the day care centre itself even if it is located within a school’s facilities.
• You will find the contact information for the day care centres in the “Units” section.
There are two Swedish language immersion groups in Kerttuli Day Care Unit: one for 5-year olds and one preschool education group. The used format is early and complete immersion.
There is one upper secondary school in Turku where education is given in Swedish: Katedralskolan i Åbo.
The Swedish Language Section of Education Committee is responsible for Swedish language services. The Swedish language services are directed by Liliane Kjellman.
VALMO is meant for students whose native languages are not Finnish or Swedish and prepares them for basic education. The students learn Finnish and other skills for approximately a year before transferring to local schools.
Students whose native languages are not Finnish or Swedish can choose between Finnish as a Second Language and Literature or Swedish as Second Language and Literature (S2).
OMO is education given in students’ native languages.
Special day care is for children with impaired possibilities for development, growth and learning. Discovering the child’s need for support at an early stage will contribute favourably to the child’s growth.
The supporting measures are usually organized in the child’s own day care centre or family day care. A child’s rehabilitation plan will be made for the child together with parents, day care personnel and other professionals. The day care personnel are responsible for compiling and implementing the plan.
Types of special group arrangements:
Municipal day care centres are open between 6am and 6 pm. If the child needs day care outside these hours, for example because of the parents' work or study schedule, this is called shift care.
If the child needs day care, in addition to weekdays, at evenings, nights and weekends, this is called around-the-clock care. Night care means that the child needs care on weekdays between 6 pm and 10 pm.
The needed hours for care must be filled in on the care hour form and handed in by 12am the previous monday.
When it comes to foreign-language classes, the main focus is on achieving a comfortable level of using a foreign-language in different situations, subjects and concepts. The language is not being taught per se; instead, the foreign language is used to learn a subject matter.
In foreign-language classes, the first two years emphasise understanding the language and building a foundation for foreign-language competence. Reading and writing skills are taught in the students' mother tongue (Finnish). The share of foreign-language instruction is approximately 50%.
The Swedish language class offers an intensive immersion possibility for all students who are native speakers of Finnish, as the class teacher's mother tongue is Swedish, which he/she uses in teaching for all subjects and lessons 100% for the first two years. Pupils also learn to read and write in Swedish. The use of Finnish in teaching increases from third grade onwards from 30% up to 50% in the fifth and sixth grades. Finnish lessons and other subjects that require Finnish are taught by another teacher who speaks Finnish as his/her mother tongue.
When it comes to foreign-language classes, the main focus is on achieving a comfortable level of using a foreign language in different situations, subjects and concepts. The language is not being taught per se; instead, the foreign language is used to learn a subject matter.
In foreign-language classes, the first two years emphasise understanding the language and building a foundation for foreign-language competence. Reading and writing skills are taught in the students' mother tongue (Finnish). The share of foreign-language instruction is approximately 50%.
The Russian foreign-language class is now known as the Finnish-Russian class. Finnish- as well as Russian-speaking students may enrol in this class at the same time.
Instruction is given mostly in Finnish, but Russian language and culture are emphasised in the curriculum.
In the Finnish-Russian class, reading and writing instruction is initially conducted in Finnish. Russian-language reading- and writing skills are taught from third grade on when formal Russian education begins.
In Turku, you can attend upper secondary school either in Finnish-speaking day upper secondary schools or in the Evening High School of Turku. Swedish-speaking upper secondary school education is offered by the school Katedralskolan i Åbo and English-speaking education by Turku International School.
In addition to these schools owned by the City of Turku, upper secondary school education is also offered by the Teacher Training School of Turku University and by Turku Steiner School.
Enrollment in a mathematics class is open to students who are interested in mathematics and wish to deepen and expand their mathematics skills. In general, mathematics classes adhere to the school's general mathematics curriculum, except that students will probe matters deeper and wider in any given situation.
Music classes provide students with readiness and inspiration for taking a comprehensive interest in music. Instruction begins with singing and playing musical instruments. A student starting out in a music class will need enthusiasm for singing, an ear for music, and a sense of rhythm. Previous ability to play an instrument or studies in music theory are not required.
Instruction consists of:
- Singing
- Playing musical instruments together
- Music theory and ear training
- Listening to music
Basic education refers to the general education for children between 7 and 16 years of age. It consists of year levels 1–9. Basic education is free of charge and aims to prepare and qualify students for secondary education. Further goals and the contents of basic education are defined in the curriculum.
In Turku, basic education is available in Finnish, Swedish and English in city-owned schools. In addition to the schools owned by the City of Turku, there are privately owned schools in the area.
A student’s home address determines which school they will attend.
There are various options for children’s day care in Turku:
• municipal day care and family day care
• private day care, family day care and group family day care
You can apply for a place for your child in day care using our electronic service. Please send your application at least four months before your child is due to start day care.
There are many different options for language education in Turku. For example, you can study languages as a part of your studies in degree-oriented learning institutions, alongside work as blended or distance learning, or as a hobby at the Finnish Adult Education Centre of Turku or the Swedish Adult Education Centre of Turku.
What can you study in Turku?
Parents always have the responsibility to teach their child to move safely in traffic. The way to school should be acquainted together with the child well beforehand.
School transportation is primarily provided with the City's public transportation bus card. The card can be loaded at the Public Transportation Service Office, Aurakatu 5.
Morning activities can be organised between 7:30 and 10:00 if at least 10 children participate in the activities. Morning activities may be terminated during the school year if the number of children permanently decreases to less than 10. Afternoon activities are organised between 11 and 17.
The activities are organised by the city, clubs, parishes and organisations in the vicinity of schools. Children are insured during the activities.
Family day care is organized at the childminder’s home.
In three-family day care 1–4 families form a circle. The children and the municipal childminder stay at each family’s home in turn. The family purchases and prepares the meals for the day, and the city in turn compensates for this. If needed, the city can borrow necessary equipment, for example a twin stroller.
The maximum size of a group for both forms of day care is four children, including the childminder’s own children.
With many professions and hobbies, the authorities require a certificate of attendance on certain, often safety-related, courses.
In the adult education centre you can find courses, for example, for the following certificates: security steward, hygiene passport, first aid, Hot Work and navigation.
Students are selected into the visual arts classes from all of Turku's school districts. Studies in the visual arts begin from third grade and continue throughout comprehensive school. The goals of art studies include: