After-school schemes and childcare centres

After-school schemes are for children from approximately 6 to 10 years old (children from kindergarten to year 4 (class 3)).

You register your child for an after-school scheme at the same time as you register the child to start school. When possible, pupils from the same class will go to the same after-school scheme.

You apply digitally. If you do not have the possibility to use the internet, you can get help from the municipality.

If your child is to change school, or only needs an after-school place later, you need to contact the municipality. 

You deregister your child digitally. 

Who can register and deregister?

Only a parent who has parental authority for a child can decide on registering or deregistering the child. However, persons who are official carers for a child can also register and deregister the child.

Sole parental authority

If one parent has sole parental authority, then only this parent can register and deregister the child.

You need to pay to have your child in an after-school scheme. The municipality determines the fees each year.

The municipality can make a free place available if you and the family need it for financial or social reasons. This means that you or the family can either have the entire fee for the place at the institution paid, or part of the fee. You can apply to the municipality for a full or partial free place if your household jointly earns less than DKK 646,500 per year (2025). If you are a single parent or if there are additional children under 18 living at home, the maximum income is increased.

You should apply digitally. If you are not able to make the application yourself online, you can book an appointment and get help at your local Citizen Service centre.

Free place for therapy reasons

If you have a child with substantial and lasting reduced physical or mental ability to function for reasons of therapy in one of the municipal day-care centres, the municipality will give you an additional subsidy. This is called a free place subsidy for therapy reasons.

Socio-educational free place

The municipality will also offer a financial subsidy if it is important for the child to take part in an after-school scheme for social and educational reasons, but you or your family cannot afford to pay yourselves. This is called a free place subsidy for socio-educational reasons.

• Free place allowance, sibling allowance and other allowances
• Socio-educational free place subsidy (in Danish)

In an after-school scheme:

• the children are looked after
• care is taken that the children are present
• staff ensure that children who come to childcare centres before going to school are taken to school on time, and care is taken that the children come back from the school
• in most cases, a snack, fruit or the like is offered in the afternoon.

In addition, there will both be joint activities for all children and activities that are optional, with several choices. There may be, for example, creative activities such as music, theatre, painting, sewing and drawing, but also sporting activities such as swimming, football and skating.

The municipality offers after-school schemes on days when the schools are closed and during holidays.

There are closing days in many places, for instance during the summer holidays.

Childcare centres offer care facilities as part of the day-care services of the municipality. Every childcare centre or a group of childcare centres has its own Head of education. The childcare centres have a parental board.

If you have a complaint about an after-school scheme or a childcare centre, you have the following options:

After-school schemes

If you wish to complain about something connected with the child’s after-school scheme, you can talk to the staff and to the school Head, who has overall administrative and educational responsibility.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the school Head, you can make a complaint to the municipality within 4 weeks. If you wish to complain about something connected with the child’s placement, for instance a refusal to grant a free place, you can apply directly to the municipality within 4 weeks.

If you do not agree with the municipality's decision, you should make an appeal to the municipality within 4 weeks. The decision must be re-assessed 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.

Childcare centres

If you are dissatisfied with the way your child is cared for in the childcare centre, you should talk to the teachers who are looking after the child on an daily basis. If the issue is more about general conditions, you should talk with the Head and possibly take it further to the board.

If you wish to complain about the institution, you should contact the municipality. If you do not agree with the municipality's decision, you should make an appeal to the municipality within 4 weeks. The decision must be re-assessed 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 can see the current acts and regulations on the after-school schemes in the Primary Schools Act, § 3, paragraph 7, and in the Order on after-school schemes.
Acts and regulations on childcare centres are found in section III of the Day Care Act.

• Act on primary and lower-secondary schools (in Danish)
• Order on after-school schemes (in Danish)
• The Daycare Act (in Danish)

• After-school schemes, clubs and childcare centres (in Danish)