Kindergarten enrollment

The right to a place in a kindergarten applies for children who will be turning one by no later than the end of November of the year in which you apply for the place in the kindergarten. If your child turns one in August of the year in which you apply, then your child will be entitled to a place before the end of August. If your child turns one in September, October or November of the year in which you apply, then your child will be entitled to a place before the end of his/her birth month.

The municipality ensures joint admission for all kindergartens in the municipality, however, each kindergarten may choose their own objective, district of admissions, admission criteria and form of ownership.

Children ages 0-6 who reside in the municipality.

The following will be given priority for admission:

• Children with disabilities
• Children for whom the child welfare services have assumed responsibility
• Children who require assistance from the child welfare services

Kindergartens also have their own admission criteria.

Each year the government sets a price cap — an upper limit — on how much parents must pay for a place in a kindergarten.

The municipality will ensure that parents with more than one child in kindergarten are given a discount on the kindergarten fee. This applies regardless of whether the children attend different kindergartens or kindergartens with different owners. 

Framework Plan for Kindergartens
Rett til barnehageplass
Barn i flerspråklige familier
Utdanningsdirektorates nettside om barnehager

• Health clinics
• Educational-Psychological Service
• Child welfare authorities

The municipality is obligated to ensure that this service is provided.

See

Sections 7, 8, 9, 12, 12a and 13 of the Kindergarten Act

Section 4-4 Assistance for children and families with children of the Child Welfare Act

Section 3 Reduced payment schemes of the Regulation on parental fees for kindergartens

The Regulation on rules of procedure for admission to kindergartens.

Forskrift om saksbehandling ved barnehageopptak
Barnehageloven
Barnevernsloven
Forskrift om foreldrebetaling i barnehager
Forskrift om rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver
Forskrift om familiebarnehager

The municipality will facilitate a coordinated admissions process and will ensure the equal treatment of children and of public and private kindergartens. Applications for a place in a kindergarten are to be filled out on a special form which is the same for all kindergartens. Submit one form for every child you are applying for.

If your child is entitled to the right of priority, enclose a statement from the appropriate authority with the application.

Places will be allocated in accordance with the established admission criteria that apply for the kindergarten. Your wants and needs will be given due weight in the admission process. For regular annual enrolment, you will be notified in writing about whether you have received a place, and if so, in which kindergarten. If you did not receive an offer from your first choice, you have the right to be placed on the waiting list for that kindergarten.

For supplementary rounds of enrolment over the course of the school year, the first applicants on the list will be offered places in accordance with the established admission criteria. Notification of place assignments will be made in writing. Among the applicants who are not offered a place in the supplementary round of enrolment, only those with the right of priority will be notified that the place was offered to another applicant.

If you were given neither your first nor second choice of kindergarten for regular enrolment, you can request a written explanation in this regard.

For regular enrolment, you can appeal the rejection of your application for a space in a kindergarten. You can also submit an appeal if you were given neither your first nor second choice. For the supplementary round of enrolment, only applicants to kindergarten who have the right of priority can submit an appeal. The deadline for appeals is normally three weeks from the date on which you received the decision. Send your appeal to the authority that made the decision.

If the municipality finds that your child should have been offered the place you requested, you will be offered the first available place after children with a legal right of priority have been offered the place. If your case is not successful, it will be passed on to the municipal appeals board, which is the administrative appeals body.