Top 5 things on Daycare in Sweden

We had no idea about daycare and what to expect until we had kids and they started attending daycare once we were done with all of our Parental Leave. 

Daycare in Sweden is called "Förskola" and there are daycares everywhere! In our little corner of the neighborhood, there are 4 different daycares! It's really nice to be able to just walk 10 minutes to drop kids off.

Here are 5 things to know about Swedish Daycare. 

1) In Sweden, kids can start daycare from 1 years old. Most kids are older when they first start. There is also an "inschooling" or adjustment period for your child. Depending on the school and the child, the length of inschooling can vary. 

2) You don't need to worry about lunches. The school feeds them lunch, snacks and if they are there early enough, even breakfast. That saves us parents from having to prepare lunch for them. They get to try various vegetables and fruits too. I found my daughter loved pear from school. I also try to check what kind of bread and favorite meals they have so I can give it to them at home sometimes too.

Some schools grow their own veggies and use it in their meals.

The daycare should also accommodate the kids allergies. You just need provide a doctor's note to the school. 

3) You're going to need to at least two sets of outdoor clothes for the kids. Outdoor overalls for rain and a winter version for colder temperatures.

They're going to be outside even if it rains! Especially these days during the Pandemic. 

4) The price of daycare is almost the same as the child benefit you get from the government so that makes it almost free!

5) My post on daycare in Sweden without be complete without mentioning this last thing to know.

Please keep in mind that this varies depending on the city or area you live in, but if you are on Parental Leave with a new baby, the older child can't attend full-time daycare. And if both parents aren't working,  you can't qualify for full-time daycare. 

The number of hours depends on the city/kommune. In Gothenburg, it was a maximum 20h a week, and the school decided on what the days/time would be. 

This made it very challenging having the older child go from enjoying full-time daycare to half-time. Not to mention, the older kid would then be home more and compete for attention with the new baby. It's tough going from big sibling to an only child!

***One more thing, that applies to all daycares, in every country...Kids will get sick often! Germs spread so quickly in daycare and unfortunately, Kids can get sick pretty often :(

Hope this list helps new parents who are planning to start daycare in Sweden.

Thanks for reading and remember, don't forget your snacks!