Early childhood education and basic education service network options selected

25.2.2026 News Education and training Basic education Service network Early childhood education

Two children are using a digital screen at school. — Photo: Jenniina Nummela

The work to update the early childhood education and basic education service network of the City of Riihimäki has begun. The service network project group and steering group have discussed the service network options during the beginning of 2026. The steering group has selected the objectives of the study, the options to be investigated, the impact assessments to be carried out, and the methods of participation.

The City Council decided to start updating the early childhood education and basic education service network at its meeting on December 8, 2025. In the study, the service network refers to the complex of premises formed by daycare centers, preschools, and primary and secondary schools.

The project group for the study is the Education and Welfare Board. The steering group is made up of the City Board and the City Council Presidium. According to the council's decision, the update work should be completed in May 2026.

The service network upgrade work is also related to the city's sustainable economy program. The city council decided to launch the sustainable economy program in December 2025.

The goal of the update work is an intact school path

The steering group, together with the project group, outlined the goals of the early childhood education and basic education service network update work:

The aim is to ensure that children in Riihimäki have a smooth learning path from pre-school to primary education and towards secondary school. The aim is that children can study in their own school despite their various challenges. There is cooperation in pre-school and primary education.
Children and young people are treated equally in terms of student enrollment, school trips, and support.
The city's early childhood education and basic education service network is sufficiently dense, and the schools, units and teaching groups are sufficiently large. Density enables the development of an operating culture. Schools would be two or three-graded, if possible, and early childhood education units would have five or six groups.
The updating work ensures that there is sufficient expertise in special education, ensures the possibility of utilizing co-teaching and sharing expertise. Through these, the teaching staff's ability to cope at work is supported.

A dual-grade school refers to a school with two parallel classes at the same grade level.

"In addition to pedagogical goals, the aim of the work is to find a service network that is economically and structurally sound in a situation where the number of children is decreasing significantly. The focus of the study is on measures that will respond to the sharp decrease in the number of children in the coming years. At the same time, it is also anticipated that the number of children will stabilize at a lower level than today in the 2030s," says Director of Education Jari Lausvaara.

A total of five options are being explored

During the spring, the project group will examine the daycare network through two different options. The options are:

Two early childhood education units will be closed and a new daycare center will be built in their place.
We will study the growth trends of the urban structure and ensure sufficient early childhood education capacity in the 2030s.

In both options, preschool education is organized in connection with schools.

The basic education network will be reviewed during the spring through three different options. The options are:

One elementary school will be abandoned.
One middle school will be closed. Sixth grade students will remain in elementary schools.
One elementary and middle school will be abandoned. In addition, the placement of sixth-grade students in elementary and middle schools will be investigated.

In addition to the alternatives, the study describes the current service network for both early childhood education and basic education.

Inclusion and preliminary assessments during the spring

As part of the service network work, the project team evaluates the impacts of decisions made in advance from six different perspectives:

Municipal impacts, i.e. the impact of service network decisions on the well-being and health of city residents.
Child impacts, i.e. the impact of decisions on the growth and learning paths, well-being and health of children and young people.
Environmental impacts, i.e. the impact of decisions on, for example, people's living conditions, soil, biodiversity, climate, cityscape or cultural heritage.
Organizational and personal impacts, i.e. the impact of decisions on, for example, personnel and the organization's tasks and procedures.
Economic impacts, i.e. the impact of decisions on the city's income and expenses.
Strategic impacts, i.e. the impact of decisions on, for example, strategic objectives.

The project team will request statements and involve numerous different parties during the spring. The boards, disability and elderly councils, and the youth council will give their own statements in March and April.

"At the same time, we are organizing numerous hearings for, among others, parents of children and young people in early childhood education and basic education, and sports clubs. The ideas of children and young people will also be heard during the spring, among other things through student councils and the children's parliament," Lausvaara says.

The city will inform about the participation opportunities once the schedules are finalized. In addition to websites and social media, communication will be carried out through, among other things, the student administration system Wilma and the early childhood education digital service system Daisy.

More information about service networking can be found on the city's website. The page includes, among other things, project group meeting notes.