Support for learning in pre-primary education
A child has the right to receive support for learning and participation in pre-primary education whenever they need it. Support is provided as early as possible within the child’s own group.
Support for learning and participation in pre-primary education refers to the solutions a child needs for learning and taking part in teaching. All pre-primary education groups must implement teaching arrangements that support the prerequisites for learning as part of the basic activities of pre-primary education. In addition to teaching arrangements that support the prerequisites for learning, pre-primary education provides group-specific forms of support according to the needs of the group.
If the teaching arrangements that support the prerequisites for learning and the group-specific forms of support do not sufficiently support the child’s learning and participation in pre-primary education, the child has the right to child-specific support measures, which are provided on the basis of a decision on support. Child-specific support measures include regular teaching provided by a special educational needs teacher, partly in a small group and partly in connection with other teaching; teaching provided by a special educational needs teacher in a small group; interpreting and assistant services and assistive devices.
In pre-primary education, cooperation also takes place with providers of comprehensive education and with parties that support and assess the child’s development.
The Lappeenranta pre-primary education curriculum provides more detailed information on support for learning and participation in pre-primary education.
Instructions
Please contact your child’s early childhood education special needs teacher, head of the day care centre or family day care coordinator for more information on the pre-primary education support measures. The contact information can be found under Service Locations.
Payment information
The service is free of charge.
Service background and legislation
All pupils are entitled to group-specific forms of support, which are based on planning and anticipation. In pre-primary education, they are implemented following the principles of pre-primary education. The aim is to support the pupil's learning as early as possible and at a low threshold.
Group-specific forms of support are:
- instruction provided by a special education teacher alongside other teaching that takes into account the needs of the entire teaching group
- remedial teaching in the language of instruction if the pupil does not have sufficient skills in the language of instruction to complete the required syllabus
- general remedial teaching to address support needs and challenges identified early at the group level.
If group-specific forms of support are not sufficient, the pupil is offered pupil-specific support measures. They are regular and based on individual support needs. Pupil-specific support measures in pre-primary education are:
- special education teacher's instruction partly in a small group alongside other teaching
- special education teacher's instruction in a special group
- pupil-specific interpretation and assistant services.
Special education teacher's instruction provided partly in a small group means that the pupil is in an ordinary class, but in some subjects, they study partly in a small group led by a special education teacher.
Special group instruction means primarily full-time teaching in a special group in all subjects or areas of activity.
Pupil-specific interpretation and assistant services mean services that allow pupils to participate in education in general and help them achieve the objectives set in the curriculum. They are only used when other measures are not sufficient.