Requirements to provide Family Daycare

[raamv]

I *know* someone posted links to this in the past and I have searched like crazy but I can't find it. Can anyone give me links to information in English which details this please?

I basically need info on whether/how someone registers to be a family daycare provider. Is it necessary to be registered by law, or could I just offer care privately? Do I need premises inspections for example and do I need particular documentation or background checks... I'm a native English speaker with a journalism and IT background, I have Senior First Aid certification here in Australia plus food handling certificate so I am competent to care for a child in English, but when I move over I completely understand these things are not recognised. I'm also a parent with almost 14 years experience, including raising a child on the Autism spectrum.

I will be living in Pukinmäki so I presume it's administered by Helsinki council? If I remember correctly their website has information on how to enrol a child in the city-administered FDC scheme, but to become a carer I couldn't find the info.

Thanks to anyone who can help me with this

Registering as daycare provider has 2 options: Either on the list of working for a Kunta(Commune). Or as a Private Daycare provider But still register with a Kunta.
Kunta will check you even if you are a private daycare provider.
Each Kunta will have certain requirements ( Either Experience with paperwork or educational certificate that is certified by the Patents board for English certified ones).
Mostly Most people go through a course for 1.5-2 yrs for them to be certified.
Criminal check is a legal requirement for daycare providers.
Most Kunta's will tell you what they require(or need) when you ask them. SO it depends entirely on where you live and how much the Kunta's are willing to pay for private ones.

[onkko]

Thanks raamv. If I understand correctly, I basically need to have 1.5-2 years of training to be in a position to offer childcare from home? Wow. I'm not quite sure what you mean by a commune either?

Well if i understood laws correctly you can alone do home childcare for 4 childs including your own and if you hire someone then its up to 8 including yours. More that that then you need degrees. If you start daycare business out of home then you need degree immediatly. Remember that children with special needs is counted more than one.

Check your locat TE center to be sure.

Degrees seemed to be "social blaablaa in university" so no course but more than that

Commune means kunta what is englanniksi: borough, Britanniassa vastaava, civil, commune, community, community council, empire Reich, field, kingdom, Lontoossa, municipal corporation, municipality, parish, realm kingdom, town, township, urban district, USA
Pick correct translation (yes i know there is few clearly wrong but i just copypasted)

[Upphew]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a commune either?

Village = commune, town = commune, city = commune. See definitions 2 and 3: http://www.answers.com/commune

I quickly glanced the relevant law and it seems that you _might_ not need all those certifications and educations, but then the people that use your services doesn't get anything from government. And family daycare is defined to have 4 or less children, including your own, and rules for kindergarten are probably tighter.

[priki]

Based on some googling, before year 2000 it was enough to take one course to become a family daycarer, but since then it has been an 'ammattitutkinto', vocational degree.

Imho, family daycarers have one of the lowest salaries I know. This may be a bit old info, but basic salary used to be 1223€ a month for four children (in Helsinki: 1 child 408€, 2 children 689€, 3 957€). Working time is 43,25 hours a week. In addition to that, commune will pay some extra for the food and other expenses, like 0,5€ for breakfast and 1,30 for lunch or supper, so not much. Afaik, you do not get paid for your own children, so one child of your own and three others would get you less than 1000€ in a month. And those numbers are for full time children, part timers pay less.

I used to be in a family daycare when I was a kid, my grandma and aunt took the course to be able to take care of me, my brother and our cousin. In addition there were 1-2 other children. It was the best thing ever to happen to a kid, did not have to fight in the kindergartens. Nowadays communes do not use the family daycares that much, dunno why. Maybe the leaders think 'big units = efficiency = good'..

[Pursuivant]

The hangup is that unless you're "certified" the county won't pay, and if the county won't pay the parents are filthy rich and have an aupair already.
(filthy rich according to Finnish strandards that is, which ain't much)

[onkko]

The hangup is that unless you're "certified" the county won't pay, and if the county won't pay the parents are filthy rich and have an aupair already.
(filthy rich according to Finnish strandards that is, which ain't much)

So rules have changed since 1984? Or does this depend on county?

[Mook]

The hangup is that unless you're "certified" the county won't pay, and if the county won't pay the parents are filthy rich and have an aupair already.
(filthy rich according to Finnish strandards that is, which ain't much)

That's bollocks. (mostly)

If children aren't sent to daycare, the parents get kodinhoitotuki, which is around 500 Euros/month in Helsinki OR they can use the money with a private daycare provider or even a relative (e.g grandmother). Normally what happens is that a few families get toghter and hire someone to look after their children - the children are looked after in rotating weeks in the familty home. This means that you can also claim the tax reductions for work in the home (60% of costs).

So, the sums ago something like:

Child in daycare, monthly cost

250 Euro

Child with home care:
500 Euros kodinhoitotki
250 Euros (that you'd spend in daycare)
250 Euros (tax reduction)

So, it's only marginally more expensive to have a shared nanny!

[raamv]

As I mentioned, Even private daycare providers need to be "registered" as a private daycare provider so that Kunta can ensure that the quality of care is taken care of ( Kunta Daycare managers do a monthly checkup of the daycare providers). We have had all of our kids ( even now) in perhepäivakoti and we need to sign off monthly reports ( Hours of care provided).
If you are providing Daycare services that anyone can ask the kunta to pay, then as Pursuviant said, you need to be in their books!!
Dont know about shared nanny services as it seems to be a family thing..

[skandagupta]

Commune,kunta, in finnish connexion = municipality

[raamv]

There is a misconception here...
Most people seem to understand/think that employers blindly look only at degrees...for hiring..
This is just from a different perspective: How can you as an employer ascertain that someone have the right qualifications and beyond to do the job effectively?
The main way is to ascertain the "degree" that has been awarded ( Baseline).
And Since Finnish Employers cannot keep tabs on which degree is real and which is fake..They need it to be ascertained by the patents body!!
I know many who have not done it as they proved their qualifications in a different way!!

[RebeccaLily]

Hi. I'm currently doing research on the qualifications and wages of child care workers in Finland. For those of you who listed wages or specific program lengths or degrees, do you know of places in English with that level of specific information? I've tried looking at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and at various municipalities / cities but the information is either not there or not translated into English. Thanks so much.