Fourteen‑month‑old children enrolled in Hafnarfjörður’s preschools

It has been possible to lower the age at which children are enrolled in preschools in Hafnarfjörður. The youngest children are now enrolled at fourteen months of age instead of fifteen. This has been achieved even though the number of children attending preschools in Hafnarfjörður has increased from just over 1,650 to nearly 1,860 over the past four years.

All children born in June 2025 and earlier have been offered a preschool place from this coming August, or when the adaptation period begins in preschools. This is stated in a memorandum submitted at a meeting of the Hafnarfjörður Education Committee on 15 April.

Clear priorities in preschools

Valdimar Víðisson, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, says it is extremely positive and welcome that the town can now offer preschool places from the age of 14 months. “This progress is not achieved without strong staff, targeted changes, and a clear focus on providing good services to families in the town.”

In a formal statement, the Education Committee welcomes how successfully preschools in Hafnarfjörður have been staffed, making it possible to offer preschool places next autumn to children born in June 2025 or who will be 14 months old. The changes that have been made to preschool operations in Hafnarfjörður are delivering results and thereby contributing to better services for families in the town.

Progress through changes to the preschool day

In autumn 2024, the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður introduced changes to the preschool day that allow for shorter attendance while maintaining the same level of care and educational content. From that time, parents have been able to reduce preschool fees by up to 30 percent. Parents have still been able to secure full-day preschool places for their children if needed. The changes have also provided greater flexibility for staff.

Fanney Dóróthe Halldórsdóttir, Director of the Education and Public Health Department, says the changes have made it easier to design better working hours for staff and have made the municipality more competitive in a demanding labour market.

“Preschool staff are the foundation of all good preschool practice, and we need to ensure acceptable working conditions for them. We see that more flexible organisation has strengthened both staff well-being and our ability to retain and attract skilled individuals. Happier staff translates directly into a better experience for the children,” she says, adding that the changes therefore benefit both internal operations and services for parents.

The importance of choice

“Preschools have welcomed many more children without any decline in the quality of the work. Staff are the most important resource in preschools, and when we create better conditions for them, it directly benefits children and their families,” she says. “It is equally important that parents can now better tailor the length of their children’s attendance to the needs of their families.”

She notes that research shows Icelandic children typically spend significantly more time in preschools than children in other European countries, and that experts have pointed out the importance of children having sufficient time with their parents, as bonding with parents is the foundation of security and development.

“It is important to us that parents have real choice regarding the length of their children’s preschool attendance. We are on the right track and will continue to develop our work in line with the needs of all.”