Child care and schooling

Child Care

For children between the ages of one and five, the municipality of Östersund provide preschool- and childminder services. Both options involve professional care and education, while parents are occupied by work or studies. If one parent is unemployed or on parental leave, 15 hours of child care per week is provided.

Childcare in Sweden is financed partly by central government grants and partly by tax revenue and parental fees. Local authorities themselves decide how large a fee parents pay and how the fee system is structured. As a result, fees vary considerably from place to place.

After School Activities

Children aged between six and nine may join an after-school centre. The time entitled each child is set in accordance with the total amount of time that the parents are occupied. The centres are open after school and until 5 PM, five days a week. Other hours care (in mornings and evenings) is provided at a nearby pre-school. During holidays after school activities are provided Monday to Friday, from 7.30 AM to 5 PM.

Public after school activities are provided all children in grades from four to six, from the end of the school day until 5 PM. During holidays, activities are provided six hours per day, five days a week. Usually the activities take place at the nearest youth recreation centre, but if that is not an option, e.g. in peripheral vicinities, a child may receive, or keep, hers/his place at an after-school centre.

Public Pre-school

All children aged four and five are entitled a minimum of 525 hours of public pre-schooling, counting from the autumn semester of the child´s fourth year. Public pre-schooling is free of charge. The service is educationally motivated. During semesters, the amount of time available is limited to 15 hours per child and week. The Headmaster of each school is in charge of scheduling, so different plans may vary in detail.

Public School

In Sweden, all children between the ages of 7-16 must attend school. If the parents wish, a child can start school one year earlier, at the age of six. Education is compulsory and free of charge. Normally, students or their parents are not charged for teaching materials, school meals, health services and transport.
As of the autumn semester of a child´s sixth year, parents may chose to register her/him for either public pre-school or the first grade of public school. The municipalityofÖstersund has got long experience of children starting school at the age of six.
You are not required to pick the school closest to your home. There are 31 schools within the municipality, providing for the education of some 6,300 students. Especially with younger children, schools aim at integrating ages in the classrooms. English studies are compulsory from the third grade, and later on students may pick another foreign language to study.

Upper Secondary School

The common aim of Östersund´s upper secondary schools is to provide high quality in a safe and secure environment. After three years of studies, more than 90 per cent of the students pass their examination. Hence, they may move on to higher education without undertaking supplementary studies. (The national average is between 75 and 80 per cent).