Update: More information about Swedish Daycare

A few weeks ago I blogged about the Swedish daycare system.  Since then, we have successfully put Calvin's name on the list of 5 government run daycares that are within walking distance from our house and 1 private school.  There are some limitations to enrollment if one parent isn't working/stay-at-home mom.  Given that I have contract work on the side, I am technically not employed in the Swedish system and this does not move Calvin's name to the top of the waiting list.  The system favors both parents who are working or those who are studying at the university.

There are a bunch of other details available here that are very helpful.  I find it fascinating that the government daycares cannot turn a profit. Here is a copy/paste of some of the more relevant facts:

The state recommendations for public childcare charges are as follows:
Child no 1 - 3% of the family income to a maximum 1 260 SEK/month.
Child no 2 - 2% of the family income to a maximum 840 SEK/month.
Child no 3 -1% of the family income to a maximum 420 SEK/month.
Child no 4 - no fee.

While it is up to the individual municipality to decide whether these fees apply, most do follow this system. However, a municipality is not allowed by law to make a profit from child-care.

Private childcare facilities are less regulated with the recommendation that charges are not ‘unreasonably high’. Even for private childcare, the municipality is responsible for policing the standards.

The hours you are entitled to have your child in daycare depend on how old the child is and whether both parents are working (in which case you can have a full time position) or whether one on maternity/paternity leave or job-seeking. If one of the latter, you are entitled to part-time hours of three hours a day or fifteen hours a week. If you are job-seeking, you may need to prove that you are actively looking – the state will not allow you to just put your child into child-care to free up some hours for yourself each week.

The exception to this rule is Stockholm county residents who are entitled to have a place for up to 30 hours a week even if one parent is on maternity/paternity leave or job-seeking.

However, all children who are four, or turn four during the coming school year (August-June), are entitled to a place offering at least 525 hours per year.

Opening hours will vary from place to place. Some are willing to serve breakfast, others even provide night-time care (nattdagis) for those who work nightshift. 

Daycares

Daycares, known is Swedish as dagis or förskola, are run or overseen by each municipality, are available once your child has turned one and your municipality is obliged to offer you a place within 3-4 months of you notifying them that you want a position (although not always the case in reality). They are also obliged to offer you a place in a daycare as close to your home as possible.

You may find the Swedish childcare system quite different to what you are used to. The foundation was laid in the early 70s aiming to make it possible for parents to continue working (or studying) and to encourage the child’s development and learning. By providing affordable childcare the government are assuring that women do not fall in to the “woman’s trap” (kvinnofällan). Typically the woman’s trap is being at home due to the high cost of childcare and their low income relative to the father’s, and thus not fulfilling their right to be an individual outside the home, to work and earn money, and to have a career and earn a pension.

Day-cares do have a curriculum but the emphasis is more a guide and general reference for the day-care themselves than a rigid outline of education they must follow. Play is viewed as very important at this age and is encouraged for much of the day in those following the national curriculum. Learning is not considered so much in the academic sense, but more in terms of socialising and the establishment of routines.

A rough outline, by age, of the school system is:
< 12 months             playschools or open preschools (öppna förskolor)
1 – 6 years               day-care (förskola, daghem or dagis)
6 – 7 years               pre-school and after-school program (6 års verksamhet & fritids)
7 – 16 years             compulsory education (afterschool program until age 10) (grundskolan)
16 – 19 years           post-compulsory education (gymnasium)
19 years -                 higher education/adult education

The School Year 
Generally it starts around mid August (exact dates are decided by the municipality) and the first term runs through to December/January with a one week half-term break, giving a total of two weeks break with the Christmas holidays. A second term starts in January and the school year finishes in June.

This spring has two breaks in it - a sports week (sportslov) and Easter. The sports week is during the snow season and allows families to go away for skiing holidays. It is managed so that different regions of the country have different sports weeks to try and minimize overcrowding in the resorts. There are also a couple of long weekends based on Whitsunday and Ascension Day.

The autumn/fall term has just one mid-term break at the end of October.