It is a Tuesday evening in mid-February, nine o’clock. Anna is sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop, a cup of tea going cold beside her. In one tab she has the city’s online admission system open, with a list of preferences on which she has already entered three preschools in the neighbourhood. In the other tab is the website of a non-public preschool a neighbour recommended. Zosia, who turns three in September, has long been asleep. Marek calls from the hallway: “So, private or public?” Anna does not know. She is not even sure whether it is a question about money, about teaching methods, or simply about where there will be a place at all.
This is a common situation, and it is even more confusing for families who have recently moved to Poland. The words “private” and “public” sound like a simple split, but Polish law draws the line differently from what intuition suggests. This article explains how these preschools really differ, what a public preschool costs, how admission works in Warsaw, and how to make a decision that suits your family.
How does a public preschool differ from a non-public one?
Polish education law (the Education Law Act, Prawo oświatowe) does not use the term “private preschool” at all. It distinguishes between public (publiczne) and non-public (niepubliczne) preschools. Under Article 13(1), a public preschool follows the national core curriculum, provides free education and care for a period set by the body that runs it, no shorter than 5 hours a day, admits children on the principle of universal accessibility, and employs teachers with the required qualifications.
A non-public preschool, under Article 13(6), must meet two of those conditions: it must run programmes based on the core curriculum and employ teachers with the same qualifications as in public preschools. It does not, however, have to provide free hours or admit children according to the statutory criteria. That is the heart of the difference: not quality and not method, but who pays and on what terms a child gets a place.
What people colloquially call a “private preschool” is in practice a non-public preschool. In this article we use both terms interchangeably, but remember that documents, registers and contracts will use the word niepubliczne.
Public does not always mean run by the city
Many parents assume that a public preschool is simply a municipal one. Usually it is, but the law allows more options. Article 8 of the Education Law Act says that schools and educational institutions, including preschools, can be run by local governments, by other legal entities (for example associations, foundations or companies) and by individuals. Local governments may run only public institutions, but not every public institution is run by a local government.
A public preschool run by someone other than the municipality must provide at least as many free hours as the municipal council has set for municipal preschools (Article 13(3)), and it may not charge more for additional hours than municipal preschools do (Article 52(8) of the Act on Financing Educational Tasks, ustawa o finansowaniu zadań oświatowych). For parents, this means such a preschool works financially like a municipal one, even though someone else runs it.
On the other hand, a non-public preschool does not automatically mean a large chain or an expensive institution. It may be a small preschool run by a teacher, a language preschool, a forest preschool or one that follows the Montessori method. Legal status tells you about funding and admission rules, and very little about what your child’s day looks like.
What both types of preschool have in common
The differences matter, but there is more common ground than people usually think:
- Core curriculum. Both public and non-public preschools run programmes based on the national core curriculum for preschool education (Article 13(1)(1) and 13(6)(1)). The core curriculum describes four areas of a child’s development: physical, emotional, social and cognitive.
- Teacher qualifications. A non-public preschool employs teachers with the qualifications required of teachers in public preschools (Article 13(6)(2)).
- Pedagogical supervision. The regional education authority (kurator oświaty) supervises both public and non-public preschools in its region (Article 51(1)(1)).
- The compulsory reception year. A six-year-old can complete the compulsory year of preschool preparation in either a public or a non-public preschool; the law simply refers to a preschool, a preschool class in a primary school or another form of preschool education (Article 31(4)). We explain that year in more detail in our article on zerówka, the reception year in Poland.
For parents this is good news: a child attending a non-public preschool does not “drop out of the system” and does not miss anything the law requires of a preschool.
How much does a public preschool cost?
A public preschool in Poland is free for at least 5 hours a day; the exact length of free care is set by the body that runs it. For each started hour beyond that time, the municipality may charge a fee set by the municipal council, and parents pay for meals separately. Since 1 September 2024, the hourly fee may not exceed PLN 1.44.
Where does that figure come from? Article 52(3) of the Act on Financing Educational Tasks says the fee may not be higher than PLN 1 for each started hour of the child’s actual stay, and Article 52(4)–(7) provides for indexation announced by the education minister in the official gazette Monitor Polski. The most recent such notice (Monitor Polski 2024, item 174) set the maximum rate at PLN 1.44 from 1 September 2024. As of October 2026, no newer notice has appeared in Monitor Polski.
Three more things are worth knowing:
- Six-year-olds. The fee applies to children up to the end of the school year in the calendar year in which they turn 6 (Article 52(1)). In the reception year, which starts in September of the year of the sixth birthday, no fee for extra hours is therefore charged.
- Exemptions. The municipal council may set conditions for partial or full exemption from fees (Article 52(2)).
- Meals. Meal fees are governed by Article 106 of the Education Law Act: staff salaries and canteen running costs may not be included in the fee, and the body running the preschool may exempt a family from all or part of the fees in cases of particularly difficult financial circumstances or particularly justified unforeseen events.
What about Warsaw? The city’s knowledge base Warszawa 19115 (updated 4 August 2026) answers the question about fees in preschools briefly: parents pay for meals, citing Warsaw City Council resolution no. XXXIX/1031/2017 of 19 January 2017 as the legal basis. The same page states that the daily meal fee in a preschool may not exceed PLN 17, and that the amount is set by the head of the preschool. In a Warsaw municipal preschool, the real monthly cost is therefore mainly meals.
Where non-public preschools get their funding
A non-public preschool is funded by parents’ fees and by a subsidy from the municipal budget. The Act on Financing Educational Tasks provides for two levels of this subsidy per child:
- 100% of the basic subsidy amount for preschools (Article 17(1)) — if the non-public preschool meets the conditions of a public preschool under Article 13(1), including at least as many free hours as municipal preschools, charges fees no higher than municipal ones, keeps records like a public preschool, does not exceed the class size that applies in public preschools, provides psychological and educational support, and admits children according to the rules for public preschools;
- 75% of the basic subsidy amount (Article 17(3)) — if it does not meet those conditions.
Parents sometimes ask about a “non-public preschool with public-school rights” (o uprawnieniach publicznych). In the current Education Law Act, such rights apply to arts schools, not to preschools. For preschools, the equivalent role is played by a non-public preschool that meets the conditions of Article 17(1): for parents it works like a public one in terms of fees and admission, and the municipality may use it to provide a child with a place (Article 31(9)(3) of the Education Law Act).
A non-public preschool with the 75% subsidy sets its own tuition, opening hours and admission rules. The subsidy is not a “discount for parents”: it is money for running the institution, and how it affects tuition depends on the body that runs it. If you want to know, ask directly. What a non-public preschool costs in Warsaw and what tuition usually includes is covered in a separate article: how much a Montessori preschool costs in Warsaw.
How does admission to a public preschool work?
Public preschools admit children who live in the municipality, after a formal admission procedure (Articles 130 and 131 of the Education Law Act). When there are more applicants than places, statutory criteria are applied first, followed by criteria set by the municipality. The body running the preschool announces the dates of the main and supplementary admission rounds by the end of January (Article 154(1)), so in practice there is one window a year for getting into a public preschool.
The first-stage statutory criteria carry equal weight (Article 131(2)–(3)). They are:
- a large family (three or more children),
- the child’s disability,
- the disability of one or both parents,
- the disability of a sibling,
- single parenthood,
- the child being in foster care.
At the second stage, local criteria apply. The municipality may set no more than six, each worth a different number of points, and may include income per family member among them (Article 131(4)–(6)). Children from outside the municipality may be admitted if places remain after the admission round (Article 131(7)).
Warsaw, school year 2026/2027. According to the city’s education website edukacja.um.warszawa.pl, admission opened on 10 February 2026 and ran through the system at rekrutacja-warszawa.pzo.edu.pl. Online applications were accepted until 24 February, lists of qualified children were published on 30 March, parents confirmed their intention to enrol by 9 April, and lists of admitted children appeared on 10 April. The supplementary round started on 4 May. In Warsaw, each statutory criterion was worth 260 points. Local criteria included, among others: compulsory preschool for five- and six-year-olds applying to a preschool within 3 km of home (130 points), paying income tax in Warsaw (64 points), compulsory vaccinations (32 points), both parents working, or a single parent working (24 points), and a sibling at the same institution (8 points). Children born in 2024 were not included in the admission round; the head of the preschool decides on admitting a child who has turned two and a half.
Because the municipality announces dates for the next school year by the end of January, it is worth checking edukacja.um.warszawa.pl around late January and early February.
Enrolling in a non-public preschool
The admission rules of the Education Law Act apply to public preschools. A non-public preschool with the 75% subsidy admits children on its own terms: it does not have to apply the statutory criteria, the city’s deadlines or the online system. The exception is non-public preschools under Article 17(1) of the Act on Financing Educational Tasks, which apply the admission rules for public preschools.
In practice, enrolling in a non-public preschool usually looks like this: you contact the preschool, visit, talk to the head, and then sign a contract with the parents that sets out tuition, payment dates and cancellation terms. A non-public preschool may also admit a child during the school year if it has a free place. For a family that moves in the middle of the year, or did not get a place in the admission round, this is often the quickest route.
Before you sign the contract, read it calmly at home. Pay attention to the registration fee, the notice period, fees during months when the child is ill, and what exactly the tuition covers. Which questions to ask when comparing offers is covered in our article on how to choose a Montessori preschool in Warsaw.
What if my child did not get into a public preschool?
First, check whether your child belongs to the group for whom the municipality must provide a place. Children aged 3–5 have a right to preschool education, and six-year-olds have a duty to complete the reception year; providing the conditions for both is the municipality’s own task (Article 31(6)–(8)). If a child from this group is not admitted, the municipality must point to another place.
Specifically, the head of the preschool informs the mayor that the child was not admitted, and the mayor must, in writing and no later than the start of the supplementary round, indicate another preschool to the parents (Article 31(10)). This may be a public preschool, a preschool class in a school, or a non-public preschool that meets the conditions of Article 17(1), in other words one where parents pay as they would in a public preschool. The place indicated does not have to be the one the family chose, though. The Warsaw 19115 knowledge base points out that the obligation to provide a place in a preschool or preschool class within 3 km of home applies only to five- and six-year-olds.
What else you can do:
- request a written justification and appeal — in Warsaw the appeal procedure can be handled in the admission system; deadlines are short, 3 days for each step,
- take part in the supplementary round — children who have already been admitted elsewhere can also apply,
- watch for free places — the city publishes a list of free places in preschools, and the head of the preschool decides on admissions during the school year (Article 130(2)),
- consider a non-public preschool — as a solution for one year or longer.
Comparison in one table
| Issue | Public preschool | Non-public preschool with 100% subsidy (Art. 17(1)) | Non-public preschool with 75% subsidy (Art. 17(3)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The municipality or another body | A legal entity or an individual | A legal entity or an individual |
| Core curriculum | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teacher qualifications | As in public preschools | As in public preschools | As in public preschools |
| Free hours | At least 5 a day | At least as many as municipal preschools | No obligation |
| Fee for extra hours | Up to PLN 1.44 per hour, set by the municipal council | No higher than the municipal fee | Set by the body running it |
| Meals | Paid separately, without staff or canteen costs | Paid separately | As per the contract |
| Admission | Statutory and local criteria, once a year | Same rules as public preschools | The preschool’s own rules, often all year |
| Pedagogical supervision | Regional education authority | Regional education authority | Regional education authority |
The table shows that the dividing line does not run neatly between “public” and “private”. For parents, a non-public preschool with the full subsidy is closer to a public one than to a non-public preschool with the 75% subsidy.
How to check a preschool’s status
A preschool’s status is easy to check in the Register of Schools and Educational Institutions (RSPO, rspo.gov.pl). After entering the name or address, you will see the institution’s record with its type, address, the body that runs it and its status: public (publiczna) or non-public (niepubliczna). Before it can start operating, a non-public preschool must be entered in the register kept by the local government (Article 168(1) of the Education Law Act).
The register does not tell you, however, whether a non-public preschool meets the conditions of Article 17(1), that is, whether it charges fees like a public one. That has to be checked directly — ask the preschool whether it admits children on the same terms as public preschools and whether it offers free hours.
How to choose — questions worth asking yourself
There is no universal answer to which preschool is better. There are, however, a few questions that help you make a decision that suits your family:
- Where is there a place, and when? If your child has a good chance in the admission round for a preschool near home, choosing a public one is natural. If there is no place, or you need one right away, a non-public preschool may be the only realistic option at that time.
- What does the whole year cost, not just one month? In a public preschool, the main costs are meals and any hours beyond the free time. In a non-public one — tuition, registration fee, meals and extra activities. Compare annual totals.
- How long will your child spend in preschool each day? Opening hours and flexible pick-up times can matter more than the institution’s status.
- How big is the group, and how many adults work with it? Ask this at every preschool, regardless of status.
- What does the day look like? Look at the classroom, the daily plan and how the teachers work. We describe the differences between teaching approaches in our article on Montessori and traditional preschool.
- How will your child cope with the commute? Half an hour in traffic twice a day is a real cost for a three-year-old and for the parent.
- What about siblings and the move to school? One place for two children, continuity from nursery, or being close to a primary school are arguments that do not show up in tables.
A good test is to visit both types of preschool, ideally on an ordinary day rather than only at an open day. Only comparing two classrooms shows you what you really pay attention to.
Method does not depend on status
Legal status does not determine how a preschool works. The law requires both types to run preschool programmes based on the core curriculum, but the programmes themselves and the way of working can vary a great deal between preschools — among public ones just as much as among non-public ones. The name on the sign does not say much either: you need to check what lies behind it.
If a particular method matters to you, ask about staff training, classroom equipment and the daily plan rather than about status. What a Montessori preschool is and how to recognise one is explained in what is a Montessori preschool. And if you are wondering whether your child is ready for preschool at all, the article on preschool age in Poland will help.
FAQ — parents’ questions about public and non-public preschools
Is a public preschool in Poland completely free? At least 5 hours a day are free. For additional hours the municipality may charge a fee, since 1 September 2024 no higher than PLN 1.44 per hour, and meals are paid for separately. In Warsaw, according to the city’s 19115 knowledge base, parents in municipal preschools pay for meals.
Does a non-public preschool follow the core curriculum? Yes. Article 13(6) of the Education Law Act requires a non-public preschool to run programmes based on the core curriculum for preschool education and to employ teachers with the same qualifications as in public preschools.
Can a six-year-old complete the reception year in a non-public preschool? Yes. The compulsory year of preschool preparation can be completed in a preschool, a preschool class in a primary school or another form of preschool education — the law does not require it to be a public preschool.
What is the subsidy for a non-public preschool? It is money from the municipal budget for each child. A preschool that meets the conditions of Article 17(1) of the Act on Financing Educational Tasks receives 100% of the basic subsidy amount; others receive 75%. The subsidy funds the institution’s operation; how it affects tuition is decided by the body that runs it.
Do I have to live in the municipality to enrol my child in a public preschool? Children who live in the municipality are admitted first. Children from outside may be admitted if places remain after the admission round (Article 131(7)). A non-public preschool with the 75% subsidy has no such restriction.
Do I have to apply to a non-public preschool in February? No, unless the preschool meets the conditions of Article 17(1) and runs admission like a public one. Others admit children on their own terms, often throughout the year if they have free places. It is still worth asking about dates early, because places for September are sometimes taken by spring.
Final thoughts
Marek’s question from the hallway — “private or public?” — turns out in practice to be three questions: how much we want and are able to pay, where and when there will be a place, and what Zosia’s day should look like. The law gives both types of preschool a common foundation: the core curriculum, qualified teachers and supervision by the regional education authority. They differ in funding and admission rules. If Anna submits an application in the admission round and visits a non-public preschool at the same time, in April she will have a real choice — and she will know what to look for.
If you would like to see what a day looks like in a non-public preschool that follows the Montessori method, see the page on the Montessori preschool.