In addition to group teachers, music, and movement teachers, the nursery school also employs support specialists such as a speech therapist and special education teacher.

A speech therapist suggests techniques to improve and develop your child’s speech. They will assess your child’s speech development level and provide guidance on how to enhance it.

A special education teacher works with children who need individualised approach and attention. Their work focuses on supporting the child’s overall development and preventing potential deeper issues. Consequently, the special education teacher also advises teachers and parents.

In organising its teaching and upbringing activities, the preschool follows the principles of inclusive education, according to which the child takes part in teaching and upbringing activities for most of the time together with all the other children and under the guidance of their own teacher. Based on the child's individual needs, suitable teaching and the necessary support are organised for the child through cooperation between teachers, support specialists, assistant teachers and other specialists.
 

For a child who has difficulty adapting, or who falls behind in achieving the expected developmental outcomes, the preschool offers general support, which consists of additional individual instruction provided by the teacher, support specialist services, and, if necessary, teaching individually or in a smaller group. If necessary, the group teacher, together with an assistant teacher, a support specialist and the parent, draws up an individual development plan for the child based on the national curriculum for early childhood education.
 

If the general support provided by the preschool does not produce the desired results for the child's development, the preschool can apply enhanced support or special support. Enhanced support and special support are expressed primarily in the size of the group suited to the child's needs, and in the extent of specific adjustments to the teaching and upbringing process arising from the special need. A child with special educational needs in preschool may need either a smaller group or additional individual support within the group.
 

In a group that includes a child receiving enhanced support or special support, the maximum number of children is smaller than in other groups, given that one child with special educational needs counts as three places. To provide support, a group for a child with special educational needs may be organised with up to 12 children, or up to six children.
 

While a recommendation from an external counselling team is generally required to ensure a suitably sized group and additional individual support for a child, this recommendation is not required for children who have been diagnosed with a health condition that causes a need for assistance every day or around the clock, or who have an established degree of severity of disability, and for whom objective supporting data has been submitted to the preschool (e.g. a disability decision, or a physician's assessment of the health condition describing the need for support services). In such cases, the basis for ensuring a suitably sized group for the child is a health assessment issued by a medical specialist (e.g. a discharge summary), a rehabilitation plan, or a decision establishing the degree of severity of disability.
 

To receive a recommendation from an external counselling team, you must submit an application to Rajaleidja – you can read more about how to do this in the step "Principles of inclusive education".

You have the right to freely choose a childcare institution or a preschool from among all the institutions operating in the area. To do this, you must submit an application to the local government, in which you must indicate the desired start date and your preferred childcare institution or preschool. A parent has the right to state several preferences. If there are no places available at the desired start date at the childcare institution or preschool indicated in the application, the local government will give priority, when admitting the child to a childcare institution or preschool, to the childcare institution or preschool closest to the child's place of residence.

The local government processes the parent's application and makes a decision on admitting the child to a childcare institution or preschool no later than two months before the start date indicated in the application. The local government may provide the place in a private childcare institution or preschool. In addition to its own territory, the local government may also provide a childcare institution or preschool place in the territory of another local government, if the local governments concerned have agreed to this in an administrative agreement.

You can ask the education department or education specialist of your local government for more detailed information on how admission to kindergarten is organised in your area. 

The local government makes information about the available childcare institution and preschool places accessible to parents.

Riigiportaal - Kindergarten placement and its application
Ministry of Education and Research – Education Portal – Early childhood education