When Your Child Starts Kindergarten

Municipal kindergarten participation fees paid by parents and applying for benefits

The participation fee paid by parents for the municipal kindergarten of Saue Parish is 20% of the minimum wage established by the government. Starting with 1 January 2025, the minimum wage is €886 and 20% of that is €177,2.

The calculation of the participation fee paid by parents starts on the day the child is enrolled in the kindergarten and ends on the day the child is excluded from the kindergarten list. The participation fee is monthly and must also be paid on periods when the child is absent from kindergarten.

Benefits will extend to the child starting with 1 September if the child is at least 3 years old by 30 September (included) of the active school year, and the child’s and both parents’, or a single parent’s, place of residence according to the Estonian population register as of 1 January of the year the payment obligation of the participation fee arises is Saue Parish.

• 50% of the monthly participation fee is paid by the parent, meaning in 2025, the parent will pay €88,6 per month for a child aged 3–8;
• if a family has two children aged 3–8 who both attend a municipal kindergarten at the same time, the discount for the second child is 75% of the monthly participation fee, meaning in 2025 the parent will pay €44,3 per month for the second child;
• if a family has three or more minor children who all share the same parents or who are all registered as residents of Saue Parish at the same address in the Estonian population register, the discount for children aged 3–8 attending the municipal kindergarten is 100% of the monthly participation fee, meaning the parent is exempt from the participation fee.

The benefits referred to in points 1 and 2 are automatically extended if the child’s and both parents’, or a single parent’s, place of residence according to the Estonian population register as of 1 January of the year the payment obligation of the participation fee arises is Saue Parish.

To receive the benefit, you must submit an application to the parish in the following circumstances:

• in the case of a family with three or more minor children, including when a new child in such a family starts kindergarten;
• in the case of blended families with three or more minor children;
• to receive a 50% and 75% discount if the population register does not reflect the real composition of the family, e.g. a single parent or blended family with two children attending kindergarten at the same time.

You can apply for a discount of the parent paid participation fee of a municipal childcare centre in Saue Parish through Arno, the education services management system of Saue Parish. Users who have logged in can find the application icon in the section "My children".

An application for a discount is valid indefinitely. The municipality checks the data once a year, on 1 January, and if the family no longer qualifies for the benefit, the benefit will no longer be granted starting with that calendar year.

It is important to note that children who have not reached age 3 by 30 September (included) of the active school year will be subject to a monthly participation fee of €177,2 from 1 January 2025. The discounts can be applied starting with 1 September of the school year in which the child turns 3 by 30 September.