Sign up your child for childcare

You can sign up your child for a place in daycare when your child has a CPR number.

We recommend that you sign your child up before your child turns 4 months old so that you have accumulated the longest possible seniority on the waiting list.

If you want to be in the best possible position on the waiting list when your child starts kindergarten, then you must also sign the child up for a kindergarten place before your child turns 4 months old as it is not possible to change a wish for a day nursery (vuggestue) to a wish for a kindergarten (børnehave). If you wish for your child to be attending a combined institution (integreret institution - day nursery and kindergarten under the same roof) then please remember to indicate your wish to sign up your child for both a place at the day nursery and a place at the kindergarten in the combined institution.  

If you sign up your child past the 4-month age, then the date you sign your child up will determine your child's position on the waiting list.

The latest point at which you can register for a place is calculated as the current month + 2 months before your child needs the place.

You must be aware of the fact that in Aarhus Municipality, we operate according to waiting list seniority.

For example: If you need a place from 1st April, the application must be submitted by 31st January, at the latest. If you need a place from 20th April, then it is also by 31st January, at the latest.

You can apply for a place in all institutions offering childcare, but you are most likely to be offered a place in the area in which you live.

In the municipality of Aarhus, you can choose between full-time or part-time daycare. 

Moving within the municipality of Aarhus:

If you are moving and you want to sign your child up for a place in your new district, you must provide your new address and moving date. The address and moving date must be written in the comments box in the Digital Placement (Digital Pladsanvisning).

Moving to Aarhus from another municipality:

1. Children with special needs. Children are assessed by PPR. 
2. Children who are signed up for a compulsory learning programme in the desired institution and who want to be signed up for a regular daycare programme
3. Children with siblings in the same institution or private daycare
4. The  child who first gets signed up for a guaranteed daycare place in their his/her allocation district
5. The child who gets signed up first for a guaranteed daycare place in their his/her own guarantee of childcare district
6. The child who gets signed up first for a guaranteed daycare place in another guarantee of childcare districts
7. The child who has been on the waiting list the longest, even if the child has a place already

When we allocate a place to a child, we must take into account that a maximum of 30% of the children who reside in the vulnerable areas of the city are to be allocated to each individual institution. We must also take into account that children who take part in a compulsory learning programme must have a place before we allocate them a place on the waiting list.

What are children with special needs?

Children with special needs are children without age-appropriate care services in their own district of guarantee, and, following an assessment made by PPR (Pedagogic Psychological Advice - a department of the City of Aarhus concerned with children with special needs), their development is jeopardised so that they do not develop according to their age.

If it is assessed that the child has a special need for acute care based on its development, a referral is made to the first free place in the district of guarantee, and thus not necessarily a place as desired. A no thank you to the place offered will then entail that the child is placed on usual terms without regard for any special needs.

If you believe or think that your child has an extensive disability, you should contact PPR about the possibility of referral to a specialised institution. 

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

You can change the date from which you need childcare on a continuous basis for instance the date from which you need a place, without it affecting your waiting list seniority.

However, the date from which you need a place in a day nursery cannot be changed to the date from which you need a place in a kindergarten - this also applies to places in combined institutions.

Please be aware of our rules regarding guaranteed childcare places. You can read more about the guarantee of childcare here.

An example:

Holly was born on February 2nd, 2022. Her parents signed her up for a place on  February 3rd, 2022, with a starting date of December 1st, 2022. Holly will start her seniority date on June 2nd, 2022 (date of birth + 4 months). On August 7th, 2022, the parents decided to change the date from which they require childcare to January 1st, 2023. Holly's seniority continues to be from June 2nd 2022.

An example:

Ingvar was born on 7 July 2019. The parents enrolled him in a private nursery and signed him up for a kindergarten place on 3 November 2019 with a starting date of 1 August 2022. Ingvar is not enrolled in a municipal day nursery (vuggestue) or with a municipal childminder (dagpleje). Ingvar has seniority from November 7 2019 for a kindergarten place from 1 August 2022. During the spring of 2021, the parents want Ingvar to transfer to a municipal day nursery instead of a private one. The parents changed the need date for Ingvar's kindergarten to 1 May 2021 instead of creating a nursery wish. Since it is not possible to change a kindergarten request to a day nursery request, Ingvar is still not guaranteed a municipal offer before August 1st 2022. In other words, the family does not have the option to change Ingvar's kindergarten seniority to a day nursery seniority.

We can allocate a place to your child 2 months before the date they are eligible for a guarantee of childcare, at the earliest. The places will always be offered from the 1^st or 16t^h of the month. Due to turnaround time, this will typically mean you will hear from us approx. 1-1½ months before the date you are eligible for a guarantee of childcare.

If your child is not covered by our childcare guarantee, you will only hear from us if we are able to fulfil your request. 

You will receive an offer for daycare in your private email account. The email will also be sent to you as Digital Post which you access via your digital postbox on www.lifeindenmark.dk,  using your MitID or on e-Boks or mit.dk (if you have created your digital postbox on one of these sites). 

If your child has siblings in an institution or at a childminder (dagpleje), the child may receive a so-called “sibling advantage” (søskendefordel) which makes it more likely that the child can be taken care of in the same institution or by the same childminder.

It is not possible to take on a sibling’s place after a sibling leaves an institution or a childminder.  To use the ‘sibling advantage’, siblings must attend the same institution or childminder for a minimum of 14 days.

If parents have joint custody and the child lives with both parents on an alternating basis, this ‘sibling advantage’ can be used for children in the family where the child has their address registered.

Half siblings have ‘sibling advantage’ even if they do not live together. If you want to use the ‘sibling advantage’ for a half-sibling, contact Placement service, and Pupil administration (Pladsanvisning og Elevadministration). Please note, that the parent who is the biological parent to all the children, must be part of the joint custody arrangement concerning the half-sibling in question, in order to make use of the so-called ‘sibling advantage’ regarding half-siblings.

1. If you decline an offer that is not one of your choices, we then consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled and your child’s seniority date will automatically be updated on the guarantee waiting list. The new seniority date would be calculated as follows: the date on which you respond to the offer + continuous month + 2 months
2. If you decline an offer that is one of your choices on the requested waiting list, we will then consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled and your child’s seniority date will automatically be updated on the guarantee waiting list. The new seniority date would be calculated as follows: the date on which you respond to the offer + continuous month + 2 months
3. If you refuse an offer of a childcare place, which is the only choice on your requested waiting list, we will remove the request and consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled. Thus, we will remove your wish for a guaranteed daycare place. This means that your seniority will also be annulled. If you decide to sign your child up again, it may take up to 3 months before your child can be offered a place again.

An example:

If your child is offered a place from April 1st and you decline by February 28th at the latest, then the guaranteed seniority date is updated to May 1st.
If you decline after March 1st, the guarantee seniority date will be updated to June 1st.

1. If you decline an offer that is not one of your choices, we will then consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled and your child’s seniority date will automatically be updated on the guarantee waiting. The new seniority date would be calculated as follows: the date which you respond to the offer + continuous month + 2 months.
2. If you decline an offer that is not one of your choices, we will then consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled and your child’s seniority date will automatically be updated on the guarantee waiting. The new seniority date would be calculated as follows: the date which you respond to the offer + continuous month + 2 months.
3. If you refuse an offered place, being the only choice on your requested waiting list, we will withdraw the request and consider the guarantee to have been fulfilled. Thus, we will withdraw your request for a guaranteed daycare place.  This means that your seniority will also be annulled.  You will then be able to sign your child up again and it may take up to 3 months before your child can be offered a place again.

If your child rarely or never uses his or her place, your child may be released from our daycare services.

When your child rarely or never uses the space, the daycare institution will contact you first.  If your child still does not make use of his or her place, we will release your child from our daycare services.

If you have not made arrangements for starting daycare within one week after the start date, your child may be released from our daycare services. After that, it can take up to 3 months for your child to be offered a place again within the guarantee of childcare scheme.

If your child gets a place in a combined day nursery and kindergarten (integreret institution), the child can easily continue in the kindergarten department without having to sign up again.

A combined day nursery and kindergarten is an offer of childcare for children aged 0-6 years, which means that you are guaranteed childcare in the same institution until the child starts school.

If you would rather your child attend another institution when your child reaches kindergarten age, you are more than welcome to sign the child up to a requested kindergarten. Just be aware that you are not guaranteed an offer for a new kindergarten place when your child already is attending an integrated institution.