Danish Pre-school Education - Types of Institutions

Types of Institutions

75% of established day-care institutions are municipal day-care centres while the other fourth are privately owned and are run by associations, parents, or businesses in agreement with local authorities. In terms of both finances and subject-matter, municipal and private institutions function according to the same principles. In 2007 96% of all children aged 3–5 years and about 90% of the children aged 1–2 years attended a day-care institution.

Pre-school education is primarily offered in the following institutions:

• Nurseries (Danish: vuggestuer), literally 'cradle halls') for children between six months and three years of age. Size: 30 to 60 children;
• Kindergartens (Danish: børnehaver) for children between three and six to seven years of age. Size: 20 to 80 children;
• Integrated institutions for groups with a wider age-group distribution than the two other types. Size: 40 to 150 children;
• Municipal child-care facilities established by private individuals taking in a few children (Danish: dagpleje). Size: 5 to 10 children.
• Pre-school classes (Danish: børnehaveklasser, literally 'kindergarten classes') established at primary schools and catering for children from the age of five to six as the first year of compulsory education (cf. US Kindergarten, English Reception). Average size: 19.7 children (1999)