Compulsory pre-primary education in Slovakia: what parents need to know and what changes from 2027

Today, compulsory pre-primary education in Slovakia applies to every child who turns five by 31 August. From September 2027 it will also be compulsory for 4-year-olds, and from September 2028 for 3-year-olds. Your child fulfils it by attending a kindergarten, or a facility authorised to provide it, regularly, as a rule for at least four hours a day. Below you will find which children it applies to by date of birth, where your child can fulfil it, what changes from 2027 and how to prepare. The information reflects the situation as of October 2026.

If you have moved to Slovakia from abroad, this is the Slovak equivalent of a compulsory reception or pre-school year. In practice it is the year of kindergarten before your child starts primary school (základná škola), which in Slovakia usually begins at six. If you are unsure how they apply to your family, ask the head of the kindergarten or the school office of your city district.

Who it applies to today

The obligation applies to all children who have turned five by 31 August. They fulfil it in the school year before starting primary school. A child born in June 2021, for example, had compulsory kindergarten from September 2026.

In practice this means:

• your child attends kindergarten regularly on school days,
• attendance is as a rule at least four hours a day, except during school holidays,
• the parent excuses any absence according to the kindergarten’s rules in its school regulations,
• children in compulsory pre-primary education have priority in kindergarten admissions,
• in a state kindergarten no contribution towards costs is paid for a child in compulsory pre-primary education.

A child with a health disadvantage can, on request and with an opinion from a counselling centre, attend kindergarten for less than four hours a day.

What changes from 2027

In 2025 the Slovak Parliament (National Council) approved an amendment to the Education Act that gradually extends compulsory kindergarten to younger children:

Children aged 3 and 4 will be able to fulfil the obligation at a kindergarten, at another educational facility or at home. For home education, the parent or legal guardian must have completed at least secondary education. Your child must spend the last year of compulsory pre-primary education at a kindergarten. The amendment also raises the qualification requirements for teachers: from September 2029, teachers of five-year-olds will need at least a bachelor’s degree.

The Ministry of Education may still clarify the details, such as the exact rules for home education. Follow the latest information on minedu.sk (the Ministry of Education website).

Does it apply to my child? A rough table

What counts is your child’s age on 31 August before the start of the school year. The table is based on the current rules and on the amendment as described by official sources:

If you are not sure how the rules affect your child, ask the head of the kindergarten or the school office of your city district.

Where your child can attend compulsory kindergarten

• At a state, church or private kindergarten included in the network of schools.
• At a facility authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education.
• Exceptionally in another way, for example if your child has a serious health condition, by agreement with the school and a counselling centre.

If you are considering a private kindergarten, ask whether it is authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education. Without that authorisation you would have to register your child elsewhere for the last year before school. Your child would then be getting used to a new place in exactly the year they are preparing for school.

What happens in the pre-school year

In the last year before school, children prepare for the move to primary school. They do not need to read and write yet. What matters are the skills that make the first weeks at school easier:

• fine motor skills for writing and holding a pencil correctly,
• listening, talking and an interest in letters,
• numbers, shapes and comparing,
• independence: getting dressed, tidying up, finishing a task,
• working in a group and managing emotions.

We look at what exactly your child should be able to do before starting school in Getting ready for school: what your child should be able to do.

What an ordinary day looks like for a pre-schooler

A pre-schooler plays at kindergarten just like younger children, because play is still their main way of learning. The difference is that the teacher pays more attention to concentration, finishing a task and independence. A typical day includes:

• a morning circle, where the children talk about the day, the weather or the topic of the week,
• guided activities: pre-writing exercises, counting with objects, games with sounds and letters,
• movement and time outdoors,
• free play, where children learn to agree and resolve disagreements,
• self-care at meals, when getting dressed and in hygiene.

At home you can help in simple ways: read together, play board games, let your child help with cooking and count the spoons when laying the table.

Deferring the start of school

If your child is not yet ready for school, they can continue in pre-primary education for another year. The head decides on this based on the opinion of a counselling centre and a doctor, so start thinking about school readiness in the autumn of the pre-school year. You will find more in School readiness and deferral.

A practical guide for parents

1. Find out which year your child has compulsory kindergarten. What counts is their age on 31 August.
2. If your child does not go to kindergarten yet, apply in the May admissions round (zápis). Children in compulsory education have priority. You will find the dates in Kindergarten admissions in Slovakia.
3. If your child already attends a private kindergarten, find out whether it is authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education.
4. During the year, make sure your child attends regularly and excuse absences according to the kindergarten’s rules. The law requires it, and regular attendance helps your child get used to the routine waiting for them at school.
5. If you have doubts about school readiness, seek advice early. The best time to talk to the teacher and a counselling centre is in the autumn.

How to prepare for 2027 and 2028

If your child was born in 2023 or 2024, the change probably affects you. You can already do the following:

• Find out when your child turns 4. If it is by 31 August 2027, they will probably have compulsory kindergarten from September 2027.
• Expect more demand for places. When kindergarten is compulsory for more age groups, it may be harder to find a place for younger children in municipal kindergartens.
• If you are considering home education, watch for the conditions and content the Ministry publishes. Your child will still spend the last year before school at a kindergarten.
• If your child attends a private kindergarten, find out whether it is authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education, so that your child does not have to change setting.

Questions parents ask

Can we go on holiday with a pre-schooler outside the school holidays?

Compulsory pre-primary education means regular attendance, so every absence has to be excused. The parent excuses it according to the rules in the school regulations. If you are planning a longer trip, for example a visit to family abroad, agree it with the head teacher in advance.

What if my child is ill?

A pre-schooler in compulsory education also stays at home when ill. An ill child would infect their friends and the teacher in class, and the illness would pass from child to child like a relay, so a few days after coming back your child would be ill again. You excuse the absence according to the school regulations, and for a longer illness the kindergarten may ask for a doctor’s note. We look at when to keep your child at home in When to keep your child home from kindergarten.

What if we move during the year?

Your child can move to another kindergarten during the year if it has a free place. Pre-schoolers have priority in admissions. Until your child starts at the new kindergarten, they stay at the original one.

Does a pre-schooler have to attend kindergarten all day?

No. Compulsory attendance is as a rule at least four hours a day. Many families need full days because of work, though. Your child then also enjoys the afternoon activities and time outdoors at kindergarten.

Why kindergarten before school helps

Among children of the same age, your child learns to wait, share, agree and resolve conflicts. They get used to a daily routine, to an adult’s instructions and to doing some activities together as a group. In the first weeks at school these skills will help them more than whether they can write their name.

What is the parent’s job and what is the kindergarten’s

How to choose a kindergarten for the pre-school year

If you are deciding where your child will go in the pre-school year, look mainly at these things:

• Authorisation. The kindergarten must be included in the network of schools or be authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education.
• Continuity. If your child is doing well at their current kindergarten, a change of setting a year before school may do more harm than good.
• Preparation for school. Ask them to describe a pre-schooler’s day and how you will hear about your child’s progress.
• Links with a primary school. Some kindergartens take pre-schoolers on a visit to a school. If this matters to you, talk about it with the head teacher.

The pre-school year month by month

When you speak another language at home

For children who speak English, Ukrainian or another language at home, a pre-school year in a Slovak kindergarten is a great help. They learn Slovak while playing with friends, so they arrive in year 1 with the language they will be taught in. It helps if your child starts as early as possible, ideally in September. Agree with the teacher which Slovak words and rhymes you can practise at home too. Do not hold back your home language. Your child will manage two languages well, and stories and conversations in their mother tongue also help them learn Slovak.

How to work with the teacher during the pre-school year

The pre-school year goes quickly. Your child gets the most out of it when parent and teacher know what the other is doing. A few simple habits help:

• Every few weeks, ask about something specific. For example how your child holds a pencil, how they join in group play or whether they can stay with one activity.
• Tell the teacher about changes at home. Moving house, a new sibling or illness in the family often show in behaviour at kindergarten.
• Ask what you can do at home. The teacher will suggest games that build on what the children are working on.
• If the teacher suggests an assessment at a counselling centre, do not take it as criticism. A speech therapist or psychologist helps most when there is still time before year 1.
• Come to meetings and performances. Your child then sees that kindergarten matters to you too.

In the spring, talk to the teacher about enrolment at primary school. She can tell you how your child copes with the tasks they will meet at enrolment and whether a deferral might be better. We write about how to decide in School readiness and deferral.

A week at home with a pre-schooler: simple ideas

You do not need to “do school” with your child at home. A few minutes a day during everyday activities is enough:

How we do it at Sovička

Your child can complete compulsory pre-primary education at Sovička, because we are a private kindergarten and a facility authorised to provide it. This applies at all three of our kindergartens: in Kramáre, Ružinov and Vrakuňa. If your child already comes to us, they do not need to change setting or friends a year before school. They will prepare for school in Slovak through our “Me and the World” programme, which is based on the national curriculum. We follow their progress with an educational assessment, and in an individual consultation you will learn what their strengths are and where you can still help them.

During the day your child also spends time with an English-speaking teacher. Once a week they have the Jazýček šikovníček speech-therapy club, and in the EQ programme they learn to name emotions and reach agreement with other children. If you want to join us only in the pre-school year, your child can start at any time of the year when we have a free place. You will find more about preparing for school on the Pre-school year page, the current admissions status on the Vacancies page, and you can book a visit here.