As of the new year, five preschools in Reykjavík will stay open until 5 p.m. This is a two-year pilot project running until Dec. 31, 2024.
This arrangement follows recommendations from the steering group on improvements and organization of early childhood education. Since the pandemic began, preschools have been open until 4:30 p.m. The preschools that will stay open longer than others, until 5 p.m., are Hagaborg in Vesturbær, Langholt in Laugardalur, Bakkaborg in Breiðholt, Klettaborg in Grafarvogur and Heiðarborg in Árbær. The sixth preschool, Ævintýraborg on Nauthólsvegur in Hlíðar, will be added when it opens in the first half of next year.
Officials decided to offer extended hours at preschools in each district to meet the needs of parents who require childcare after 4:30 p.m. When preschool hours changed in 2020, 169 children had preschool placement agreements extending beyond
4:30 p.m. Of those, 42 children now have preschool placement agreements extending beyond 4:30 p.m. Parents of about a dozen of these children have requested to keep the extended hours.
Preschool children in Reykjavík numbered about 5,300 on Oct. 1, 2021.
Preschool summer operations
As in previous years, several city preschools will remain open during the summer. Three preschools will be open all summer: Hagaborg, Langholt and Bakkaborg.
The pilot project for summer preschool operations has been ongoing since summer 2019, when six preschools were open, one in each district. In summer 2021, the number was reduced to four due to few applications in two districts, but last summer, nearly 100 families applied for this service.
According to Rules on Preschool Services, children who attend Reykjavík City preschools must take at least 20 weekdays of summer vacation.