How much does a private kindergarten cost in Bratislava in 2026

A private kindergarten in Bratislava costs parents hundreds of euros a month. You work out the real amount as the monthly fee + meals for the days your child attends + any clubs not included in the price, plus a registration fee once a year. At Sovička in Kramáre, for example, it is €614.50 a month (€499 monthly fee and €115.50 for meals) if your child attends full days on 21 days in the month. Just as important as the amount is what it covers and which state allowances can lower it. Below you will find what the price is made of, three worked examples, a comparison checklist and questions worth asking before you sign a contract. The information on allowances reflects the situation as of October 2026.

What the price of a private kindergarten is made of

Kindergartens’ price lists look different, but you will almost always find these items:

So two kindergartens with the same monthly fee can cost very different amounts over a year. What decides it are the items you do not see in the price list at first glance.

How to work out the real monthly cost

When comparing kindergartens, work out one figure for each using these steps:

1. The monthly fee for the programme you need.
2. Meals: the daily rate times the number of days at kindergarten. For full-time attendance, count roughly 20 to 22 working days a month.
3. Clubs you want that are not included, converted to a monthly amount.
4. The registration fee, if it is not deducted from the monthly fee, spread over the months your child will spend at the kindergarten.
5. Minus allowances you are entitled to, such as the childcare allowance for children under 3.
6. Minus discounts, for example for a sibling.

Only figures worked out this way can be compared. If one kindergarten includes English or speech therapy and another does not, add to the second the amount you would pay for a comparable club.

Three worked examples

The examples use Sovička’s price list valid from 22 October 2026. The meal fee is €5.50 a day, or €5 a day for half-day attendance. We count 21 days a month.

Example 1: one child, full day, Kramáre

Example 2: a two-year-old, Kramáre, working parent

The childcare allowance (príspevok na starostlivosť o dieťa) goes to a working or studying parent of a child under 3. You apply for it at the Labour Office (ÚPSVaR), and the amount depends on the actual cost of care. Check the conditions with the Labour Office before you do the sums. Whether you qualify depends on your residence and insurance status in Slovakia.

Example 3: two siblings, full day, Vrakuňa

For the first month, add the €100 registration fee for each child. At Sovička the registration fee is paid once and is not deducted from the monthly fee. You can do your own calculation with the calculator on the Prices page.

What is usually included and what is not

When comparing price lists, focus on things you would otherwise pay for separately or sort out yourself:

• A foreign language. Is it a club once a week, or is an English-speaking teacher with the children during the day?
• Speech-therapy prevention. Is it included, or do you pay for it separately?
• Trips and events. Do you pay for each trip, or are they included?
• Linen and hygiene. Do you bring bed linen and towels from home and wash them, or does the kindergarten take care of it?
• Summer. If the kindergarten closes in summer, how much will other childcare or holiday cost you?
• Parent app. Can you see attendance, meals and payments on your phone?

Why the monthly fee is not reduced in summer or during illness

Parents are often surprised that at a private kindergarten they pay the same monthly fee even in a month when their child was ill for two weeks. The kindergarten has the same costs for teachers, premises and running throughout the year, regardless of how many children are there on a given day. Kindergartens that are open all year therefore do not usually reduce the fee. However, you usually do not pay for meals on the days you cancel your child’s attendance. Ask by when you need to cancel.

State allowances that lower the cost

Childcare allowance

It is for a working or studying parent of a child under 3. For a child with a long-term adverse health condition the limit is 6. For a private facility it is up to €280 a month, according to the Labour Office, and never more than the care actually costs. You cannot receive the parental allowance at the same time. You apply at the Labour Office, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR), the state office that pays family benefits in Slovakia.

Extended parental allowance

If your three-year-old is not admitted to a kindergarten in your school district, you can keep receiving the parental allowance (rodičovský príspevok) after their third birthday. The condition is that you follow the procedure with an appeal and an alternative kindergarten. From 1 January 2026 the allowance is €364.80 a month. If you previously received maternity benefit, it is €500.10. The Ministry of Labour states that you are entitled even if your child attends a private kindergarten in the meantime. You will find the whole procedure in No place in a state kindergarten?

City district contributions

Some Bratislava city districts contribute to families whose child did not get a place in a municipal kindergarten. If this applies to you, ask at your local district office (miestny úrad).

What to watch for in the contract

• Notice period. How far ahead do you have to give notice if you get a place at a municipal kindergarten or move away?
• Price changes. When and how can the kindergarten change its prices?
• Registration fee. Is it refunded if your child does not start after all?
• Payment. When is the invoice due and how do you pay?
• Settling in. Do you pay the full monthly fee in the month when your child attends only a few hours a day?

The most common mistakes when comparing prices

• Comparing only the monthly fee. Without meals, clubs and summer the comparison tells you nothing.
• Forgetting allowances. For a child under 3, the childcare allowance can change which kindergarten comes out cheapest.
• Not counting the journey. A kindergarten €50 cheaper but on the other side of the city can cost you more in time and transport.
• Not asking what your child gets. For the same money your child may be in a class of 12 or of 24.

If you are also deciding between a private and a state kindergarten, the comparison in Private or state kindergarten? will help.

Annual budget: what kindergarten costs you over a whole year

The monthly figure matters for the family budget, but when deciding it also helps to look at the whole year. This is what a year looks like for one child attending full days in Kramáre, on an average of 20 days a month (with cancellations during illness):

If you are comparing with a kindergarten that closes for several weeks in summer, add the cost of summer childcare to its total. Also count the holiday you would otherwise take at another time. For a kindergarten with paid clubs, add the clubs for the whole school year.

Half day or full day: the difference in numbers

Take Kramáre as an example, with 20 days of attendance a month. For full-day attendance you pay a €499 monthly fee and €110 for meals (20 × €5.50), €609 a month in total. For half-day attendance it is a €449 monthly fee and €100 for meals (20 × €5), €549 a month in total. The difference is €60 a month, or €720 a year. Half days make sense if you can pick your child up after lunch and do not need them to nap at kindergarten. If you work until five, full days save you stress and paid childcare in the afternoons.

How to lower your kindergarten costs

• Choose the programme you really need. If you work part-time, half days or 3 days a week can save tens of euros a month.
• Use the childcare allowance while your child is under 3 and you are working or studying.
• Apply to a municipal kindergarten in May as well. If your child is not admitted and you follow the procedure, you can receive the extended parental allowance.
• Ask about a sibling discount before you register a younger child.
• Cancel meals in time. During illness you save for every day your child is not at kindergarten.
• Find out whether your city district can help. Some support families whose children did not get a place in a municipal kindergarten.

Questions about price you need answers to

The price list on the website shows the basic amount. You will find most of the details in the price list or the contract, and the kindergarten will explain the rest on the phone or during a visit. The answers to these questions help you compare kindergartens by the same rules:

1. Is the monthly fee paid during illness and holidays? Most private kindergartens charge the monthly fee regardless of attendance, because they pay teachers’ salaries and rent just the same. What matters is knowing this in advance.
2. Are meals included, or do you pay for meals actually taken? If you pay per day, you save during illness. With a flat rate you do not.
3. How much is the registration fee, and is it deducted from the monthly fee? Some kindergartens deduct it, others do not. In a comparison that can mean a €100 difference.
4. Which clubs are included and which cost extra? Two paid clubs can add tens of euros to the monthly total.
5. Is the kindergarten open in summer? If not, work out how much other childcare will cost you.
6. What is the notice period? If you switch or move, you will know how many more months you will pay.
7. Can the price change during the year, and how far in advance will the kindergarten tell you? A good kindergarten has the rules on price changes written in the contract.
8. Will the kindergarten issue a confirmation for the Labour Office? Without it you cannot apply for the childcare allowance.

Where the monthly fee goes

Parents often ask why a private kindergarten is so many times more expensive than a municipal one. A municipal kindergarten is funded mainly from public money, and parents pay only a contribution towards part of the costs. A private kindergarten covers most of its costs itself from the monthly fee: salaries for teachers and other staff, rent and energy, materials, cleaning and laundry, insurance and running all year round. Smaller classes mean more teachers for the same number of children, and so higher costs per child. When comparing prices, think about the number of children in the class too. A kindergarten with a lower fee and 25 children in a class and one with a higher fee and 15 children in a class offer two different things, even though both are called a private kindergarten.

The monthly fee pays for the care and education of your child. The kindergarten’s rules, such as opening hours or keeping an ill child at home, apply equally to all families regardless of the fee. It is these rules that give the teachers the calm and energy to give attention to every child.

How we do it at Sovička

We publish our prices separately for each kindergarten, valid from 22 October 2026:

The meal fee is €5.50 a day, or €5 for half-day attendance. You pay the €100 registration fee only once. If your child’s sibling joins us too, you pay a 10% lower monthly fee for the second child. Included in the price, your child spends the whole day with an English-speaking teacher and has the Jazýček šikovníček speech-therapy club once a week. Financial literacy, the EQ programme, pre-school preparation with an assessment, and trips are included too. We provide materials, towels, bed linen, a toothbrush and cups, so you do not need to bring or wash any of it. If your child loves sport, you can sign them up for extra-cost blocks: swimming, a climbing wall, ice skating, skiing, cycling or football.

We are open all year round, which is why the monthly fee is not reduced in summer or during absence. If you know your child will not be coming, you simply cancel meals in the app, even on the same day until 7:30, and you do not pay for that day. The best way to show you what you are paying for is in person. Come and have a look with your child at a quiet time, when the kindergarten is not full. We will show you the classroom and the garden and tell you what your child’s day would look like. You can work out your own figure on the Prices page, find current places on the Vacancies page and book a visit online.