Placepoint

Kindergartens overview

Kindergartens are educational services for children aged 0 to 6. For a housing developer, being close to a kindergarten is one of the most important attractiveness factors for families with children, and the capacity in an area can also govern rekkefølgebestemmelser (sequencing requirements) in a reguleringsplan (zoning plan).

The sector is governed by barnehageloven, the Norwegian Kindergarten Act, with its accompanying rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver (framework plan for kindergarten content and tasks). The act covers both municipal and private providers. The right to a kindergarten place under section 16 applies to children who turn one year old by the end of November in the admission year, and it is the municipality's responsibility to meet it. The main admission round has an application deadline of 1 March. The municipality carries out supervision under the same rules regardless of ownership type.

Staffing and educational competence are regulated nationally:

  • Pedagognorm (pedagogue standard): at least one pedagogical leader per 7 children under three years old, and per 14 children over three years old.
  • Bemanningsnorm (staffing standard): at least one adult per three young children, and one per six older children.

Operational data is collected and published by Utdanningsdirektoratet (Udir), the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, in Barnehagefakta, where you can look up an individual kindergarten on a map or by municipality. Each entry shows staffing, the share of employees with an educational qualification, the number of children, opening hours, ownership type and results from the parent survey, and gives a comparable basis for assessing quality and coverage. Aggregated figures for capacity, coverage rate and costs are reported through SSB's KOSTRA figures at municipality and city district level.

For a developer, KOSTRA data and Barnehagefakta are a useful basis when you need to show a need for new kindergarten capacity in a planning process. Municipalities that lack coverage can set sequencing requirements stating that kindergarten places must be in place before an igangsettingstillatelse (permission to start work) is granted, and that can delay projects considerably if the municipality has not planned for capacity growth.

In Placepoint, kindergarten locations are shown as a map layer, so you can quickly assess coverage around a property and document the local services when selling new homes.

How the dataset appears on the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Education:

Kindergartens overview in Placepoint

From Placepoint's glossary: Kindergartens overview

More information: Lovdata: Barnehageloven, Utdanningsdirektoratet: Barnehage, Barnehagefakta, SSB: KOSTRA barnehager

English: Kindergartens overview.

Common questions we come across

What are kindergartens and who has the right to a place?

Kindergartens are educational services for children aged 0 to 6. The municipality has a duty to offer a kindergarten place to all children from the age of one. For developers, access to kindergartens is an important attractiveness factor for families.

Why are kindergartens important for developers?

Developers should map kindergarten capacity, because the municipality can set a rekkefølgebestemmelse (sequencing requirement) stating that kindergarten capacity must be increased before an igangsettingstillatelse (permission to start work) is granted. That can delay projects considerably.

How do I find an overview of kindergartens in an area?

You can find kindergarten overviews on the municipality's website and in the Barnehagefakta portal, which holds data on capacity and parent satisfaction. Placepoint shows kindergarten locations as a map layer.

What is the right to a kindergarten place?

The right to a kindergarten place applies to children who turn one year old by the end of November in the admission year. The municipality is responsible for meeting the right to a place in an approved kindergarten.

What effect do kindergartens have on housing attractiveness?

Being close to a kindergarten increases attractiveness for families with children and is one of the most important factors when choosing where to live. It can have a positive effect on sales price and saleability in housing projects.