Kindergarten Placement
Your child has the right to a kindergarten placement once they are over one year old. You must apply to the municipality for a place in a kindergarten.
Description
If your child is born between January and July, they are entitled to a kindergarten placement in August of the year they turn one. If your child turns one in August, September, October, or November, they are entitled to a kindergarten placement starting in the month they turn one. However, if your child turns one in December, they are not entitled to a kindergarten placement until the following August.
The municipality ensures a coordinated admissions process for all kindergartens in the area, but each kindergarten can set its own purpose, admission criteria, selection area, and ownership structure.
Target group
Children aged 0–6 years residing in the municipality.
Criteria/conditions
The following children are given priority in the admissions process:
- Children with disabilities
- Children under the care of the child welfare services
- Children in need of assistance from the child welfare services
In addition, kindergartens have their own specific admission criteria.
Charges/Cost of the service
Maximum price
Each year, the Norwegian Parliament sets a maximum price for kindergarten fees, which is the highest amount parents are required to pay for a kindergarten placement.
From August 1, 2024, the maximum price is 2,000 NOK per month.
In less central municipalities (zones 5 and 6 according to Statistics Norway’s centrality index), the maximum price is 1,500 NOK per month from August 1, 2024.
Do You Have More Than One Child in Kindergarten?
If you have more than one child attending kindergarten in the same municipality, the municipality ensures a discount on kindergarten fees. This is called sibling discount. The discount applies regardless of whether the children attend different kindergartens or kindergartens with different owners.
The discount for the second child is at least 30%.
From the third child onwards, kindergarten is free.
For Families with Low Income
There are two support schemes available for households with low income:
1. Reduced Fees
No household should pay more than 6% of their income for kindergarten fees.
2. Free Core Time
Families with a total income below 642,700 NOK are entitled to 20 hours of free kindergarten per week.
You must submit a separate application form for reduced fees and free core time.
Free Kindergarten for Families in Finnmark and Northern Troms
All children in Finnmark and seven municipalities in Northern Troms (Kåfjord, Skjervøy, Nordreisa, Kvænangen, Karlsøy, Lyngen, and Storfjord) are entitled to free kindergarten.
Brochures, documents, maps, etc.
Cooperating authorities
- Health clinics
- Educational-Psychological Service
- Child welfare authorities
Acts
The municipality is required by law to provide this service. See in particular
Barnehageloven § 16, § 17 og § 18.
Barnevernsloven § 3-1, § 3-4 og § 5-1.
Forskrift om foreldrebetaling i barnehagen § 3, § 3a - § 3f.
Forskrift om saksbehandlingsregler ved opptak i barnehage.
Forskrift om saksbehandling ved barnehageopptak
Barnehageloven
Barnevernsloven
Forskrift om foreldrebetaling i barnehager
Forskrift om rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver
Forskrift om familiebarnehager
Guidelines – applying for, or receiving the service
You must apply for a kindergarten placement using the municipality’s application form.
If you qualify for reduced fees or free core time, you must submit a separate application once per year.
Appendix/supplement
If your child qualifies for priority admission, you must include a statement from an expert authority with your application.
Administrative procedure
Placement is assigned based on the established admission criteria for the kindergarten. Your preferences and needs will be given significant consideration in the admission process. You will be notified in writing about whether your child has been granted a placement and in which kindergarten.
If you did not receive your first choice, you have the right to be placed on the waiting list for that kindergarten. When additional placements become available during the kindergarten year, applicants from the waiting list will be offered spots in accordance with the admission criteria.
If your child is not offered a placement, you will receive written notification. You will also be informed of your right to request a justification for the decision, your right to appeal, and the deadline for submitting an appeal.
If your child qualifies for priority admission but was not offered a placement, you have the right to receive a written explanation, information about your right to appeal, and the appeal deadline.
Applications for Reduced Fees and Free Core Time
The municipality collects the necessary documentation regarding household members and household income before making a decision.
Possibilities to appeal; procedure
You can appeal if:
- Your application for a kindergarten placement was rejected.
- You were offered a placement but not at your first or second choice.
- Your application for reduced kindergarten fees or free core time was denied.
The appeal must be submitted within three weeks of receiving the decision. If you request a justification for the decision, the appeal deadline is three weeks from the date you receive the explanation.
If the municipality determines that your child should have been offered the desired placement, they will be given the next available spot after children with a statutory right to priority admission have been placed.
If your appeal is not upheld, the case will be forwarded to the municipal appeals board, which will make the final decision.
Tjenesten oppdatert: 14.02.2025 13:26