If you take care of your child at home, you have the right to take unpaid parental leave from your job until the child turns three years old.
During parental leave, you can apply for home care allowance from Kela. You can also apply for home care allowance if you do not have a job. You can also hire a caregiver for your home with home care or private care support.
Home care allowance is applied for from Kela
You can apply for home care allowance from Kela if your child under 3 years old is not in municipal early childhood education or supported by the municipality. Either parent can take care of the child. The home care allowance includes a care allowance and a care supplement.
You can also receive home care allowance for other siblings under school age if they do not have a municipal early childhood education place. The home care allowance ends when the youngest child in the family turns three years old.
Note! You cannot apply for the allowance if the child has a place in daycare or family daycare and the family makes an absence agreement for more than six weeks during the summer period from June 1 to August 31.
Hiring a caregiver at home
You can hire a family daycare provider to take care of your child at home with private care support. This is an employment relationship where the family is the employer and the caregiver is the employee. The family finds the caregiver themselves. The employed caregiver must be an adult.
Arrange a joint meeting with the early childhood education service coordinator and the family daycare provider. It is desirable that both the employer and the employee are present at the meeting.
Early Childhood Education Service Guidance
Phone service Tuesday-Thursday from 9:00 to 12:00 at 08 558 45300 (press 1)
Email: varhaiskasvatus@ouka.fi