The early childhood education and care or preschool education is public service. To support provision of public service one set up a network of public and private kindergartens, as well as private providers holding a concession. The network gives parents and children the opportunity to opt for a programme and access.
It is the responsibility of the municipality to guarantee a place in a kindergarten to all entitled children in its respective catchment area (Kindergarten Act, en). The criterion for the institution of a kindergarten is the number of candidates, namely there has to be enough candidates to set up ten classes.
The municipality starts the procedure for securing additional places in 30 days or makes public call for applications for a concession:
Parents can enrol a child put on a waiting list in a private kindergarten or care. In this case, the municipality part-funds the expenses.
If the demand exceed the capacity, the special commission selects the children to enrol according to the criteria as set out by the municipality. The priority have children with non-favourable backgrounds (opinion of the social work centre) and children with special needs (decision by the competent authority).
The child has to be 11 months old and parents can enrol the child in a kindergarten only after their right to parental leave in the form of full-time absence from work has ended. Parents have to submit the paediatrician’s certificate on the health of the child.
Parents have the right to opt for a programme in a public or private kindergarten. Kindergartens provide three types of programmes: day programmes, half-day programmes and a short programme. Commonly, children attend the day programme (98% or so) of min. 30 to max. 45 hours per week.
Kindergartens have to call out for new candidates for the new school year at least once a year.
Kindergartens enrol candidates throughout the year, namely after they receive the application and if there are available places.
Kindergartens publish online the information about the number of places, number of available places and eventual waiting period or time between enrolment and actual inclusion of a child in a programme. Kindergartens communicate this information to the ministry responsible for education, the location of the central information point on the number of children enrolled and the number of applications for the whole country. Thus, parents can view the situation at all kindergartens operating in the area of a municipality (public or private), capacities, and programme prices.
The municipality sets the price of the programme, namely it calculates the price by reference to the cost of kindergarten staff, programme expenses related to material and services, as well as meals for children.
The Minister responsible for education specifies the price-setting methodology.
The basis for the payment by parents is the price of the programme the child is attending which includes the cost of education, care and meals; it does not include the cost of investment and major maintenance.
The basis for the payment by parents of children with special educational needs is the price of the programme for other children of the same age.
Kindergartens providing public service propose the price of the programme. The final say has the competent body of the instituting or granting municipality.
| First age group | Second age group | Childre 3 to 4 years old | Composite classes | Developmental classes | Education and care family |
| 493.53 | 372.43 | 387.85 | 404.65 | 1014.04 | 459.05 |
Source: https://www.gov.si/teme/vpis-otroka-v-vrtec/
Parents can call on decreased payment for children attending public kindergartens, private kindergartens with concession, as well as private kindergartens maintained by the municipality.
Parents submit the application for a decreased payment for kindergarten to the competent social work centre in the month before their child starts kindergarten (for example, for a child who will start kindergarten on 1 September, the application has to be submitted in August). The right is then granted from the first day of the month following the application for one year, not until the end of calendar year. The social work centres decides on the extension of this right ex officio.
The payment by parents is based on the monthly household income and income scale bracket. It is given in the percentage of the total programme price.
| Income bracket | Average income per person/month (€) | Payment (% of the programme price) |
| 1 | up to 191.40 | 0 |
| 2 | 191.41 to 319.01 | 10 |
| 3 | 319.02 to 382.82 | 20 |
| 4 | 382.83 to 446.62 | 30 |
| 5 | 446.63 to 563.60 | 35 |
| 6 | 563.61 to 680.56 | 43 |
| 7 | 680.57 to 871.98 | 53 |
| 8 | 871.99 to 1,052.75 | 66 |
| 9 | 1,052.76 | 77 |
Parents with the lowest income do not pay; parents with the highest income pay 77% of the programme price.
Parents who do not invoke the right to decreased payment pay 77% of the programme price.
Parents receiving the social assistance benefit in cash do not pay as set out with the rules on social care.
Parents with two or more children attending kindergarten concurrently pay for the youngest child 30 percent of the decreased payment for the first child; they are exempt from paying for every further child.
Parents do not pay for children attending the short 240-hour programme. This programme is free.
Parents who are not personal income taxpayers in the Republic of Slovenia pay full price of the relevant programme.
Foster parents do not pay for foster children. The municipality of the permanent residence of the foster child covers the price of the kindergarten programme.
A social work centre can in extraordinary circumstances in which the payment would put at risk the wellbeing of persons, or for other significant reasons set lower payment for the kindergarten.