Ola is sitting at her laptop one evening while her daughter Zosia, born in November 2023, builds a tower of blocks next to her. A colleague at work says children only go to preschool after their third birthday, a neighbour says preschools take children from two and a half, and her brother-in-law insists preschool is compulsory anyway, so there is nothing to think about. Ola wants to know two things: when Zosia can start preschool at all, and whether she has to.
The answers are in a single act, the Polish Education Law (Prawo oświatowe), but its language does not make things easy. This article walks through the rules step by step: from what age a child can go to preschool, when an earlier start is possible, what the local municipality has to provide and from which year preschool genuinely becomes compulsory. It is based on the consolidated text of the act published in the Journal of Laws in 2026 as item 820.
From what age can a child go to preschool in Poland?
Preschool in Poland is for children from the age of 3, or more precisely from the start of the school year in the calendar year in which the child turns 3. That is what Article 31(1) of the Education Law says. The same provision sets the upper limit: preschool education lasts until the end of the school year in the calendar year in which the child turns 7. In practice, a child starts preschool in the September of the year of their third birthday.
Preschool education does not have to take place in a preschool in the narrow sense. The act lists three settings: preschools (przedszkola), preschool classes in primary schools (oddziały przedszkolne) and other forms of preschool education. The age rules are the same for all of them.
There are two exceptions to this rule. The first works downwards: in particularly justified cases, a preschool may admit a child who has reached the age of 2.5 (Article 31(3)). The second works upwards: a child with a statement of special educational needs may stay in preschool longer, at the latest until the end of the school year in the year they turn 9 (Article 31(2)).
Is preschool compulsory in Poland?
No, preschool is not compulsory for three-, four- and five-year-olds in Poland. The Education Law gives children aged 3–5 a right to preschool education (Article 31(6)), not an obligation. Only one year is compulsory: a six-year-old must complete a year of preschool preparation, commonly called zerówka, the reception year (Article 31(4)). Before that, the decision belongs to the parents.
This distinction has practical consequences. A three-year-old’s right means the municipality must provide a place if the parents ask for one. It does not mean that anyone checks whether a three-year-old attends preschool. You can enrol your child in the September of their third birthday year, a year later or only for the reception year — each of these routes is lawful.
The year at age six is different. The act provides for administrative enforcement if the obligation of the preschool preparation year is not met, and defines non-fulfilment as unexcused absence in a given month on at least half of the days of classes (Article 42). There are no such provisions for younger children.
Child’s age and preschool in the 2026/2027 school year — table
The rules are easiest to understand with specific birth years. The table shows what applies to children born in each year during the school year that began in September 2026.
| Year of birth | Age reached in 2026 | Situation in the 2026/2027 school year | Basis in the Education Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | As a rule not yet preschool; a child who has reached 2.5 may be admitted in particularly justified cases | Art. 31(3) |
| 2023 | 3 | Right to preschool education from September 2026 | Art. 31(6)–(7) |
| 2022 | 4 | Right to preschool education | Art. 31(6) |
| 2021 | 5 | Right to preschool education; the route to the preschool designated by the municipality should not exceed 3 km | Art. 31(6), Art. 32(3) |
| 2020 | 6 | Compulsory preschool preparation year (zerówka) | Art. 31(4)–(5) |
| 2019 | 7 | Compulsory schooling, i.e. year 1; preschool only with a deferral | Art. 35(2), Art. 36(4) |
So Zosia from the opening, born in 2023, has a right to preschool from September 2026, even though that month she is not quite two years and ten months old. Her compulsory reception year falls in the 2029/2030 school year, and year 1 of primary school in September 2030.
The year of birth counts, not the birthday
The rules on preschool, the reception year and school refer to the calendar year in which the child reaches a given age, not to the date of the birthday. All children born in the same year therefore start in the same September, whether they were born in January or in December.
The difference can be considerable. A child born in January 2023 starts preschool in September 2026 at three years and eight months. A child born in December of the same year starts on the same day at two years and not quite nine months. A single group of three-year-olds can therefore include children almost a year apart — a lot at this age, both in speech and in independence.
If your child was born in autumn or winter and still seems very small in September, remember that the right to preschool does not expire. You can wait a year and enrol your child as a four-year-old. What you can expect from a child of this age is covered in our article on what a 3-year-old should be able to do.
Can a two-and-a-half-year-old go to preschool?
Yes, but only as an exception. Article 31(3) of the Education Law allows a child who has reached the age of 2.5 to be admitted to preschool education in particularly justified cases. The act does not list what those cases are, and it does not give a two-and-a-half-year-old a right to a place. The right to preschool education, and with it the municipality’s duty, begins only in the September of the year of the third birthday.
In practice, this means admitting a younger child is something you discuss with a specific preschool. The municipality must provide places for children aged 3–6, and that duty does not cover a two-and-a-half-year-old, so in a public preschool they may have a lower chance of getting a place. It is simply worth asking the preschool you have in mind whether, and on what terms, it admits children younger than three.
Before deciding on an earlier start, consider whether your child is ready for it. A two-and-a-half-year-old in a preschool group usually has to cope with a larger group of children than at nursery and with a daily rhythm designed for older children. For some it is a good moment, for others too early, and a child who still needs a more intimate setting can stay at nursery. Nursery age limits are described in nursery from what age.
The right to preschool for 3–5-year-olds — what the municipality must provide
Children aged 3–5 have the right to preschool education in a preschool, a preschool class in a primary school or another form of preschool education (Article 31(6)). Providing the conditions for this right, as well as for the compulsory reception year, is the municipality’s own task (Article 31(8)).
The municipality fulfils this task by securing a place for the child in one of three types of setting within its area (Article 31(9)):
- a public preschool, public school preschool class or other public form run by the municipality,
- the same kind of public setting run by another body, for example an association,
- or certain non-public preschools within the municipality, specified in the act on financing educational tasks.
What follows from this matters: the right to preschool is a right to a place in one of these settings, not in the particular preschool the parents chose. A public preschool provides free education and care for at least 5 hours a day and recruits on the principle of universal accessibility (Article 13(1)). How public and private preschools differ in practice is covered in private vs public preschool.
What if there is no place in the preschool you chose?
If a public preschool runs out of places for children the municipality is obliged to provide for, the head informs the mayor. The mayor must then indicate in writing another preschool that can admit the child, at the latest before the supplementary admissions round begins (Article 31(10)). So the child is not left without a place, but may be offered one in a different setting from the one the parents applied to.
The act adds two conditions. The opening hours of the designated preschool should be similar to those of the one the parents applied to (Article 31(10)). The municipality should also, where possible, indicate the setting nearest to the preschool the parents chose (Article 31(11)). “Where possible” means this is not a guarantee, so when applying it is worth listing several preschools that are genuinely an option for you.
This only applies to children with a right or an obligation, that is three-, four-, five- and six-year-olds. A two-and-a-half-year-old who has not been admitted has no such route.
Admissions to public preschools
Public preschools admit children who live within the municipality (Article 131(1)). When there are more applicants than places, the first stage uses seven statutory criteria of equal weight (Article 131(2)–(3)):
- a large family,
- the child’s disability,
- the disability of one parent,
- the disability of both parents,
- a sibling’s disability,
- single parenthood,
- the child being in foster care.
If there are still ties or free places after the first stage, the second stage uses criteria set by the governing body, usually the municipality — no more than six (Article 131(4) and (6)). They are meant to take particular account of families in which parents have to balance work and family responsibilities.
The dates of admissions and the supplementary round for public preschools are set by the governing body by the end of January (Article 154(1)(1)). It is therefore worth checking the admissions calendar for September on your municipality’s website — in Warsaw, the city’s website — as early as February. Non-public preschools may have their own enrolment dates, so it is worth checking them directly with the preschool you are considering.
Five-year-olds — the route to preschool and transport
The Education Law treats five-year-olds in a special way, even though preschool is not compulsory for them. The route of a five- or six-year-old from home to the preschool where the municipality has provided a place should not exceed 3 km (Article 32(3)). If it does, the municipality must provide free transport and supervision during the journey, or reimburse the cost of public transport for the child and an accompanying adult if the parents take the child themselves (Article 32(5)).
For three- and four-year-olds the act sets no such distance limit. A municipality may organise free transport even where it has no duty to do so (Article 32(7)), but that is its decision. In a large city this provision matters less, as there are many preschools, but it is worth remembering if the municipality designates a setting far from home.
The compulsory year at age six in brief
The only compulsory stage of preschool education is the year of preschool preparation. It begins at the start of the school year in the calendar year in which the child turns 6 (Article 31(5)), and can be completed in a preschool, a preschool class in a primary school or another form of preschool education (Article 31(4)). A year later, compulsory schooling begins (Article 35(2)).
A few details are worth knowing in advance. A six-year-old can go straight into year 1 at the parents’ request if they attended preschool the year before or have an opinion from a psychological and educational counselling centre (Article 36(1)–(2)). At the parents’ request, the head may also allow the obligation to be fulfilled outside preschool, through home education (Article 37(1)). Everything about the reception year — where to do it, what children learn there and how deferring compulsory schooling works — is in a separate article: zerówka, the reception year in Poland.
When to send your child to preschool — how to decide
Since preschool is not compulsory before the age of six, you choose the starting point. The law only sets the framework; within it, what counts is your child and your family’s situation. A few questions help with the decision:
- How does your child cope with separation? If they stay with a grandparent or at nursery without much difficulty, starting preschool will usually be easier.
- Does your child seek out other children? A three-year-old who walks up to other children at the playground often settles well into a group.
- How do they manage everyday tasks? Eating independently, signalling the need to use the toilet and simple dressing make the first weeks easier, though they are not a requirement.
- What does the family need? A parent returning to work is a perfectly valid reason to enrol earlier.
- What is the chosen preschool like? Group size, the daily rhythm and how the preschool handles settling in often matter more than a few months’ difference in age.
Whatever the age, the first weeks take effort from a child. How to plan them and what to expect is covered in our article on settling in at preschool.
From nursery to preschool
Many children go to preschool straight from nursery. The limits of the two stages overlap: preschool starts in the September of the year of the third birthday, and exceptionally from the age of 2.5. For parents of a child at nursery, the key is matching the dates: admissions to public preschools follow a calendar set by the municipality, and the nursery contract needs to fit when the child will start preschool.
For the child, the move usually means a larger group, new adults and a different daily rhythm. It helps if a parent talks about the new place in advance, shows them the building and avoids combining the start of preschool with other big changes, such as moving house or giving up nappies. Some settings that run a nursery and a preschool in one place organise the transition without a change of building or carers — something worth asking about when choosing a nursery.
FAQ — parents’ questions about preschool age
From what age can a child go to preschool in Poland? From the September of the calendar year in which they turn 3 (Article 31(1) of the Education Law). In particularly justified cases, a preschool may admit a child who has reached the age of 2.5 (Article 31(3)).
Is preschool compulsory for a three-year-old? No. Children aged 3–5 have a right to preschool education, not an obligation. Only the preschool preparation year in the year the child turns 6 is compulsory.
Does a five-year-old have to go to preschool? No. A five-year-old has a right to a preschool place, and the municipality must also make sure the route to the designated preschool does not exceed 3 km, or provide transport. The obligation begins a year later.
Does the municipality have to provide a preschool place? Yes, for children aged 3–6. It does not have to be the preschool the parents chose, though — if that one runs out of places, the municipality indicates another setting in writing, where possible the nearest one.
Up to what age can a child attend preschool? Until the end of the school year in the calendar year in which they turn 7 (Article 31(1)). This is why a seven-year-old whose compulsory schooling has been deferred can stay in preschool. Children with a statement of special educational needs may stay longer, at the latest until the end of the school year in the year of their 9th birthday.
My child was born in December. Do they have to start preschool in September? No. In the September of their third birthday year they gain the right to preschool, but they do not have to use it. You can enrol your child a year later; only the year at age six is compulsory.
Final thoughts
Preschool in Poland begins in the September of the year in which a child turns 3, exceptionally from the age of 2.5, and is not compulsory until the age of six. Three-, four- and five-year-olds have a right to a place that the municipality must provide, and only the year before school is compulsory. So Ola does not have to choose between “must” and “can’t” — Zosia can start in September 2026 or a year later, and the decision depends on how Zosia feels among other children and what the whole family needs.
If you would like to see what a day looks like in a mixed-age group where three-year-olds learn alongside older children, see the page on the Montessori preschool.