Family daycare, nurseries and kindergartens

Parents who have legal residence in Denmark must have the possibility to receive childcare.

The municipality determines, among other things:

• what it costs to have your child in childcare
• when the child may enrol for the waiting list
• the extent to which waiting lists for children from other municipalities may be closed for a limited period.

You have the possibility to apply for a place in a daycare facility in another municipality unless the municipality in question has closed the waiting list for children from outside the municipality.

• Subsidies and out-of-pocket fees (in Danish)
• The Daycare Act (in Danish)
• Closing waiting lists – daycare (in Danish)

You can put your child on a waiting list for childcare such as family daycare (dagpleje), nurseries (vuggestuer) and kindergartens (børnehaver). You must indicate when you need the place.

Children of parents with legal residence in Denmark has guaranteed childcare. This means that the municipality must allocate a place in an age-appropriate daycare for all children over 26 weeks old until they start school. If you do not request a place until immediately before or after 26 weeks, the municipality has a deadline of another 4 weeks to offer you a place. To the extent possible, the municipality takes into account any wishes for a specific daycare. Check your municipality’s current rules on registration dates and seniority.

At family daycare, a childminder generally looks after a small group of children in the childminder's own home. This form of childcare is typically used for children under the age of 3.

According to the Daycare Act, a childminder at family daycare can look after up to 5 children. However, there may be up to 10 children if there are 2 or more childminders to look after the children.

The family daycare may be public or private.

• Rules for daycare facilities

Daycare facilities may be run and established by the municipality as public daycare facilities – or they can be run by private providers as independent or private daycare facilities.

Daycare facilities may be, for example:

• nurseries (vuggestue) for children aged 0-3 years old
• kindergartens (børnehave) for children aged 3-6 years old
• combined nursery and kindergartens (integreret institution) for children aged 0-6 years old.

You can read about the setting up of independent and private institutions under 'Rules for daycare facilities':

• Rules for daycare facilities

Opening hours

The opening hours of daycare facilities vary depending on local needs. You can contact the daycare facility or check the website of the daycare facility to see the specific opening hours.

Cost

Public childcare is financed partly by the parents (maximum 25 per cent of the operating costs), partly by the municipality. Prices can differ depending on the municipality and the type of childcare.

In some daycare facilities the spoken language is English. To register, please contact the respective municipality, and do it as soon as possible as a waiting list is not unusual.

Combination care is a possibility for parents with a documented work-related need for childcare outside the operating hours of the daycare facility. The offer of combination care consists of a part-time place in a daycare facility combined with a subsidy for ‘flexible childcare’.

The flexibility of combination care means that the child can be in a daycare facility while the parents are working during the operating hours of the daycare facility while via the flexible childcare the parents can also have a flexible childminder look after the child outside the operating hours of the daycare facility when the parents are at work.

Flexible childcare is subject to the following requirements

• The main language of the flexible childcare shall be Danish, though in exceptional cases the municipality may allow for a main language other than Danish, if it does not adversely impact integration.
• The flexible childminder must be able to substantiate that they are sufficiently proficient in Danish to develop the child’s Danish language skills.
• The flexible childcare must be organised such that children are ensured participation, shared responsibility, and understanding of democracy.
• The municipality must approve the childcare agreement entered into between you and the flexible childminder and perform oversight of the flexible childcare. The municipality must also approve the financial conditions in the childcare agreement.

Who can qualify for combination care?

Only those with a documented work-related need for childcare outside the normal daycare hours of operation are entitled to combination care in the form of a part-time place in a daycare together with a subsidy for flexible childcare:

• If you are a single parent, you are entitled to combination care if you can substantiate your needs.
• If you and your partner live together, you must both substantiate that you have a work-related need for childcare outside the normal daycare hours of operation.

Such substantiation may consist of, for example, an employer’s declaration, a shift schedule, or the like, which must be submitted together with your application. If you have children who are enrolled in language stimulation in the form of 30 hours at a daycare facility per week (see § 11, paragraph 8 of the Daycare Act) or are in the target group for compulsory learning offers under §§ 44a–44g of the Daycare Act, you are not entitled to combination care.

The ratio between the daycare facility and flexible childcare

The municipality determines the average number of hours for the part-time place in a daycare facility and for the flexible childcare by a childminder. The determination is made based of your application and substantiated needs.

• The flexible childcare shall average at least 10 hours per week. The time spent in the part-time daycare place and in the flexible childcare shall be calculated over a period of at least 4 weeks.
• In total, the combination care cannot exceed the corresponding amount of time for a full-time place in an age-appropriate municipal daycare.

When one or both parents take their rightful leave under the Act on parental leave, they can get a part-time place.

• 30 hours a week in a daycare facility for children in the household in the age group 26 weeks and until the start of school.
• Reduced out-of-pocket payment. 

Parental leave for a single contiguous period

Parental leave under the Act on parental leave must be taken in one contiguous period per child.

• If parents take parental leave as a direct extension of one another, it is considered to be a single contiguous period.
• If your parental leave is interrupted for a period of more than 5 weeks or if it otherwise ceases, or if you want to change the part-time place to a full-time place, you must generally pay full price.
• Parents are obligated to inform their municipality of residence if their parental leave is interrupted for a period of more than 5 weeks or if it otherwise ceases.

Documentation

You must have documentation that you are or will be on parental leave under the Act on parental leave during the dates for which you want an offer for a part-time place.

The documentation may consist of, for example, a copy of your medical records showing the expected delivery date, an agreement with your employer on deferred parental leave, or the like.

If you want a place with a private family daycare or in a private daycare provision, you must contact them directly. The municipalities have no say in the allocation of such places.

Private daycare provision is an alternative offer to daycare facilities. They are therefore subject to other requirements.

The municipality must approve and perform regular supervision of private daycare provisions. At private daycare provision, a childminder can look after a maximum of 5 children, or up to 10 children if there are more people to look after them.

The parents may receive a financial subsidy from the municipality on the condition that the municipality has approved the private daycare provision that you wish to make use of. 

What is the difference between a private family daycare and a private daycare provision?

A private family daycare is a childcare service for children based on an agreement between the municipality and the childminder. The private family daycare is thus part of the municipal provision.

A private daycare provision is based on an agreement between a private childminder and the parents. Private daycare provision is generally run without public funding and is fully or partially financed by the parents' payment. However, it is possible to apply for financial subsidy for private daycare provision.

More information on private daycare provision and subsidies is available on the website of the Ministry of Children and Education:

• Private daycare provision (in Danish)

If you do not agree with the municipality’s decision in a given case, you may make a complaint to the municipality within 4 weeks of receiving the decision. The municipality must then re-assess its decision within 4 weeks of the complaint being received. If the municipality upholds its decision, it will forward your complaint to the Board of Appeal which will rule on the decision.

You may not file an appeal with another authority against a municipality’s decision on the following matters:

• admission to a daycare facility
• approval of private daycare provision or revocation of an approval
• approval of flexible childcare/combination care.

If you believe that the municipality is in non-compliance with applicable legislation, you can contact the municipal supervision department of the Board of Appeal.

The supervision by the Board of Appeal is a judicial review, meaning that it only assesses whether there is legislative compliance. It does not take a position on whether the municipality’s decisions are reasonable or appropriate, nor on whether the case processing is in accordance with good administrative practice.

Based on your information, it assesses, among other things, whether a supervision case shall be brought. If an appeals authority can take a position on the case in question, the supervision department will not intervene in the case.

• The Board of Appeal about supervision of municipalities (in Danish)
• FAQ on appeals – Board of Appeal (in Danish)

• The Daycare Act (in Danish)

At lifeindenmark.dk

• Rules for daycare facilities
• Income-based subsidy, sibling subsidy, and other subsidies
• After-school schemes and childcare centres

Other websites

• Daycare facilities on the website of the Ministry of Children and Education