Students with children
Just like all other parents, students with children are entitled to benefits like parental allowances and child benefits. If you are currently receiving student financial aid, you can only get a minimum-rate parental allowance on top of it. If you don't receive student financial aid, the amount of your parental allowance may be affected by income from work. You can read more about the subject on the family section on Kela's website.
As of 2020, student financial aid has included a provider supplement for students that provide for underage children. There is no need to apply for the provider supplement, as it is granted automatically and paid with the rest of your study grant.
Your municipality of residence is responsible for maternity and child welfare clinics (Turku, Pori, Rauma (Finnish only)), and these services are not covered by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
Having children brings changes to time management and everyday life, and you should take these changes into account when planning your studies. You can ask for help from your academic advisor at the university. New arrivals in the family cause changes in other schedules, too, and you should seek help with tackling them if necessary.
Information on early childhood education and preschools can be found on city websites (Turku, Pori, Rauma).
Do you need someone to talk to? Would you like to discover student activities that are suitable for your life situation? The university's On My Mind support students can provide peer support for students with children.
The goal of the support student programme is to ensure that no student is left outside the student community. Some of the support students are familiar with how it is to combine studies and family life, so they can provide you great peer support.
> Contact a support student via the Shall we talk? contact form!
TYY also has a Facebook group for students with children at the University of Turku. In the group you can have discussions with other students, and the Student Union also uses it as an information channel.