A new daycare center, located on the ground floor of the Visio high-rise, provides early childhood education for local children and opportunities for outdoor play in Bryga Park, among other places.
In April 2024, Kalasatama Visio Tower, an English-language daycare center, Pilke Playschool, opened on the ground floor. The daycare center, which provides early childhood education for 40 children, is part of the Pilke daycare chain founded in 2003 Pilke daycare chain.
“We wanted to establish a small neighborhood daycare center in Kalasatama to serve the residents of the high-rise buildings and surrounding blocks,” says Pilke’s Chief Strategy Officer Antti Pirttimäki.
Language Skills and Internationality
The daycare center’s facilities were taken into account in the building’s design from the very beginning: the plans for the high-rise building constructed by SRV included space for a daycare center that serves the area’s residents as part of the city’s service network. The language of instruction at the daycare center is English, but its operations, like those of other Finnish daycare centers, comply with Finland’s Early Childhood Education Act and curriculum.
“We are happy to serve families with warmth and care in an area where families are international in many ways. Our services are also suitable for families where the child’s English skills are otherwise important,” says daycare center director Katariina Lemmetti.
The daycare’s activities include music, play, outdoor time, and rest periods. Children or guardians are not required to have any prior knowledge of English—everyone is welcome to learn the language.
Multicultural environment in a central location
Pilke’s representatives are particularly pleased with the new location near the city center, the excellent public transportation connections, and the diverse scenery. From the upper floors of the Visio building children can see exciting modes of transportation, such as the metro passing below, and from the daycare’s yard, you can see all the way to Mustikkamaa and Korkeasaari.
The daycare children can play outdoors on the Bryga park deck, located in the midst of the high-rise buildings, which the daycare yard extends onto. Awarded “Environmental Structure of the Year” and “Playground Structure of the Year,” Bryga is not only a safe vantage point but also a masterpiece that contributes to the biodiversity of urban nature. The daycare center’s activities also make use of the area’s other parks, playgrounds, and services.
“We warmly welcome the residents of Kalasatama to come and learn about our activities,” Lemmetti says.
Pilke Playschool is located at Hermannin rantatie 3. The daycare center’s facilities are on the fifth floor, accessible via the A elevator.