Private or state kindergarten in Slovakia? An honest comparison for parents

A state or municipal kindergarten in Slovakia usually costs parents a few dozen euros a month. But you only get a place through the May admissions round, and in Bratislava there are often not enough places. A private kindergarten costs hundreds of euros a month, but your child can start during the year, classes tend to be smaller and more of the programme is included in the price. Which suits you better depends on when you need to go back to work, how much you can spend each month and what matters most for your child. Below you will find a comparison in eight points and three typical family situations. You will also learn which allowances can lower the cost and what to ask yourself before deciding. The legal information reflects the situation as of October 2026.

If you have recently moved to Slovakia, a short orientation helps. Kindergarten (materská škola, “škôlka”) is for children who have not yet started primary school. The year before primary school is compulsory for every child (compulsory pre-primary education). Most public kindergartens are run by the city districts of Bratislava. Allowances are paid by the Labour Office, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR), and whether you are entitled to them depends on your residence and insurance status in Slovakia.

Private and state kindergarten compared in one table

The table describes the usual situation, but every kindergarten is different. What applies to the kindergarten you are considering is usually on its website, or the head teacher will tell you in a short phone call.

Cost: what you will really pay

In a state or municipal kindergarten you pay a monthly contribution towards costs, plus meals. In municipal kindergartens the amount is set by the city district or municipality in its generally binding regulation (všeobecne záväzné nariadenie), so it varies between Bratislava’s city districts. In state kindergartens it is set by the head, up to a maximum of 7.5% of the subsistence minimum for one child. For a pre-schooler, for whom pre-primary education is compulsory, no contribution is paid in a state kindergarten.

In a private kindergarten you pay a monthly fee, a meal fee and often a one-off registration fee. What differs most between private kindergartens is what the monthly fee covers. In some it is only care and meals. In others it also includes English, speech therapy, trips, bed linen and materials. So when you compare, do not look only at the number in the price list. Write down what you would pay for separately elsewhere: clubs, summer childcare, trip fees. You will find a detailed budget with an example in How much does a private kindergarten cost in Bratislava.

Allowances that can lower the cost of a private kindergarten

• Childcare allowance (príspevok na starostlivosť o dieťa). A working or studying parent of a child under 3 can receive it to pay for care in a private facility. According to the Labour Office, it is up to €280 a month. Check the current amount and conditions with the Labour Office, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR).
• Extended parental allowance. If your child aged 3 or over is not admitted to a kindergarten in your school district and you follow the exact procedure with an appeal and an alternative kindergarten, you can receive it. The Ministry of Labour states that you are entitled even if your child attends a private kindergarten in the meantime. We explain the whole procedure step by step 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. The local district office (miestny úrad) will tell you the conditions and the amount.

Admissions: when your child gets a place

You apply to a state or municipal kindergarten once a year, at the admissions round called zápis. In recent years applications were submitted from 1 to 31 May through the ePrihlášky portal or in person at the kindergarten. Children in compulsory pre-primary education have priority. From the 2025/2026 school year, so do children who turn 3 by 31 August, at a kindergarten in their school district according to their permanent residence (trvalý pobyt). If your family does not have permanent residence in Slovakia, ask your city district how this applies to you. Younger children are admitted only if a place remains free. In Bratislava this rarely happens.

If you need to go back to work in January or March, the May admissions round will not help you. In that situation private kindergartens accept children on a rolling basis if they have a free place. That is why many families combine both: their child starts at a private kindergarten straight away and in May the parents also apply to a municipal one. You will find the dates and documents in Kindergarten admissions in Slovakia.

The class: how much time the teacher has for your child

For your child, the difference between a class of 12 and a class of 25 is big. In a smaller group the teacher notices sooner that your child is tired, sad or needs help getting dressed. She gets to know their habits faster and knows which toy calms them in the morning. This helps most when a two- or three-year-old is settling in and cannot yet say what is bothering them.

On a visit, then, you will want to know how many children will be in your child’s class and who will be with them during the day. The figure for “kindergarten capacity” does not tell you what your child’s day will look like. A good head teacher will also tell you, without being asked, whether the children stay with the same teacher.

Curriculum: what your child does during the day

State and private kindergartens both teach according to the national curriculum for kindergartens. Each one also has its own school curriculum, in which it sets out what it focuses on. The differences lie mainly in what is part of an ordinary day:

• whether children hear a foreign language every day or only at a club once a week,
• whether speech-therapy prevention is included and how much time children spend outdoors,
• how the kindergarten works with children’s emotions and behaviour,
• how it prepares pre-schoolers for school and whether parents get feedback on progress.

If English matters to you, what counts with young children is daily contact with the language, not the number of hours at a club. We explain why in Why the preschool years are ideal for learning English.

Practicalities: summer, opening hours and illness

Practicalities are often forgotten when comparing, even though they matter most to working parents. You need to know how late you can pick your child up, whether the kindergarten is open in summer and what happens when your child is ill. Most of the answers are on the kindergarten’s website, and the head teacher will tell you the rest in a short phone call:

• How late is the kindergarten open, and what happens if you are held up at work?
• How many weeks is it closed in summer, and where does your child go then?
• Is the monthly fee paid during illness and in summer?
• How do you cancel attendance and meals when you find out in the morning that your child has a temperature?

Private kindergartens that are open all year usually do not reduce the monthly fee in summer or during illness. In return, you do not have to find other childcare in summer or take your holiday according to the kindergarten’s schedule.

How to decide: three typical family situations

You have until September and your child is 3

Apply in May to the kindergarten in your district, where your child has a right to a place. If a smaller class or English also matters to you, go and look at a private kindergarten as well and compare both using the table above. Decide on what you see, not on the price list.

You are going back to work during the year

A private kindergarten is often the only way to get your child a place straight away. Work out the cost after deducting the childcare allowance if your child is under 3. Also find out the notice period in case a place comes up in a municipal kindergarten later, and apply there too in May.

Your child is under 3

A municipal kindergarten will admit them only if a place is free. Private kindergartens that accept children from age 2, and children’s groups, are a more realistic route. With a two-year-old, ask mainly about settling in, self-care and nappies. Kindergarten from age 2: is your child ready? will help.

Questions to ask yourself at home

Before you go on visits, answer four questions. It will save you time and disappointment:

1. From when do you need a kindergarten? If it is before September, a state kindergarten is the exception rather than the rule.
2. How much can you spend each month? Include meals, clubs, summer and any allowances you are entitled to.
3. What matters most for your child? A calm settling-in, English, time outdoors, preparation for school, a small class?
4. How will you get your child there? A kindergarten near work or near home, parking, opening hours.

The most common mistakes when choosing a kindergarten

• Comparing only the price in the price list. If you do not know what is included and how much you would pay separately for clubs and summer, you are comparing apples and oranges.
• Not going to look. You cannot read the atmosphere of a class or the teachers’ approach from a website. A calm visit with your child, at a time when the kindergarten is not full, tells you most, because you see how your child reacts to the place.
• Forgetting the May deadline. Even if your child attends a private kindergarten, applying to a municipal one in May can open up entitlement to the extended parental allowance.
• Not asking about settling in. The first weeks decide whether your child will look forward to kindergarten. On the visit, talk about what your child’s first days will look like and whether you can be with them.

The questions that really matter on a visit are in How to choose a kindergarten: what is really worth asking on a visit.

Moving from a private to a municipal kindergarten and back

The decision does not have to be for ever. If your child starts at a private kindergarten and later gets a place at a municipal one, you can switch. Ask about the notice period in advance so that you do not pay for two kindergartens at once. When switching, think of your child: a new kindergarten means settling in again, new friends and new teachers. If your child is doing well where they are, changing just because of the price may not be a good deal.

Families most often move the other way, from municipal to private, when they move house, return to full-time work, or miss a smaller class or a foreign language. A private kindergarten with a free place will accept you during the year. Before the move, talk to your child about what is coming and give them time to say goodbye to their friends and teachers. In the new kindergarten expect a few weeks of settling in, even if your child already knows what kindergarten is like.

How to tell on a visit what you get for your money

The best time to visit is when the children have already gone home or when the kindergarten is not full. The head teacher then has time for you and you can look around in peace.

• See whether the children have space for free play as well as quiet rest.
• Look at the children’s artwork on the walls. It shows you what they do during the week.
• Talk to the head teacher about your child and notice whether she is genuinely interested in them.
• Ask her to explain exactly what is included in the price and what costs extra.

How we do it at Sovička

Sovička is a private kindergarten authorised to provide compulsory pre-primary education. We have been looking after children for 14 years and have three kindergartens in Bratislava: in Kramáre, Ružinov and Vrakuňa. Your child can join us between the ages of 2 and 6 at any time of the year when a place is free.

• There are 7 to 15 children in each class and one teacher who knows your child well. In every kindergarten there is an English-speaking teacher all day.
• The full-day monthly fee is €449 in Vrakuňa, €499 in Kramáre (€399 for children under 3) and €549 in Ružinov. The meal fee is €5.50 a day. If a sibling joins us too, you pay a 10% lower monthly fee for the second child.
• Included in the price, your child has the Jazýček šikovníček speech-therapy club, financial literacy, the EQ programme, pre-school preparation with an assessment, and trips. We provide towels and bed linen.
• We are open all year round and closed only on public holidays and from 24 December to 1 January. So you do not need to find other childcare in summer.

If you are deciding between a private and a state kindergarten, come and have a look with your child. We will show you the classroom, tell you what your child’s day would look like, and you will see how your child reacts to us. Then feel free to compare us with any other kindergarten using the table above. You will find the fees on the Prices page, the current admissions status on the Vacancies page, and you can book a visit online.